Doctoral scholarship holder resilient communications for future 6G networks

Departement: Departement Informatica
Regime Voltijds

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students; conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

The Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of resilient communications for future 6G networks.

The research of this PhD position will be conducted in the IDLab-UAntwerp research group, which is embedded in imec and the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

IDLab-UAntwerp, a core research group of imec, part of the University of Antwerp, counts about 100 members. The group performs fundamental and applied research on advanced wireless communications, Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC), non-terrestrial networks, AI-driven future communication networks, and AI solutions. While imec was founded in 1984 and is today the world’s largest independent research and innovation centre for nanoelectronics and digital technology. The worldwide team of 6,000 scientists, engineers, and innovators from over 100 countries, is driven by a shared passion to push boundaries.

Position

The offered position contributes to the imec.prospect Resilient Communications (ResCom) project that aims to provide resilient cellular communication through technological innovations, which are integrated into a “resilient-by-design” reference architecture (a resilient blueprint) to ensure connectivity and service continuity for both the general public and emergency responders during crises. A major power outage, such as the one that affected Spain, Portugal, and south of France in Spring 2025, is a representative example of such crisis that disrupted telecommunications, transportation, and emergency response systems. The project will develop solutions for resilience against communication jamming, backhaul failure, core network failure, and extended energy provision failure.

The objective of this PhD research is to develop novel energy optimization mechanisms for maintaining network operation during long-term energy provision failures. The candidate will design and analyse an energy consumption model for modern cellular base stations that accounts for contribution of multiple components and functions, such as idle static power, MIMO operation, pilots, dynamic bandwidth and transmit power dependent components. The goal is to propose a strategy for a graceful shutdown of the base station, meaning that network capabilities will be downgraded gracefully with time. Additionally, the potential of renewable energy sources to further extend the network lifetime will be investigated. The developed methods will be analytically characterized, optimized, and validated through simulation and experiments. For experiments, IDLab-UAntwerp's world-class research infrastructure, including GPU Lab, Software Defined Radios and programmable beamformers, as well as research infrastructure provided by industrial project partners will be used.

As a PhD candidate, you are expected to perform the following tasks:

You will conduct high-quality research under the supervision of Prof. Jeroen Famaey as a member of the IDLab-UAntwerp research group at imec and the University of Antwerp.

You will closely collaborate with other researchers at IDLab-UAntwerp.

You will write detailed technical evaluation reports on the developed solutions, implementation, and experiments, leading to publications in major conferences and journals in the field of wireless communications, signal processing, and/or embedded computing.

You will assist in teaching lab sessions of relevant courses at bachelor or master level (at most 10% of your time).

Profile

You hold a master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Informatics, Computer Science or equivalent or you will have obtained it by the time you start.

You can demonstrate excellent study results (as a minimum requirement distinction and preferably great distinction).

You have a profound knowledge of wireless communications and signal processing, including communication system modeling, performance evaluation, and optimization.

You have strong programming skills in C/C++, Python, and/or Matlab.

Knowledge of energy-efficient communication systems, network energy modeling, or renewable energy integration is a strong asset.

Knowledge of data analysis, optimization, and machine learning techniques is a plus.

Knowledge of machine learning libraries (e.g., PyTorch or TensorFlow), SDR hardware (e.g., USRP) and software (e.g., GNURadio, Matlab, LabView) is a plus.

Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.

Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.

You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

You have a high proficiency in oral and written English at the C1 level.

You are a team player and work collaboratively with other researchers.

You have strong communication skills.

What we offer

We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another year, up to a maximum duration of four years in total.

An inspiring and modern work environment in The Beacon innovation hub, walking distance from the historical city center of Antwerp.

Access to state-of-the-art lab infrastructure, including an AI compute cluster, and a recently deployed 6G Perceptive Radio Lab with cutting-edge Software Defined Radios and programmable beamformers.

The planned start date is between November 2026 and January 2027.

Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.

As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.

You will receive eco vouchers, Internet-connectivity allowance, teleworking allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.

Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including September 28th 2026  (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

the requested degrees,

transcripts of your study results,

a motivation letter,

your academic CV (educational record, research experience, work experience, teaching experience, etc.),

an English proficiency certificate,

at least 2 references.

The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to Voir email sur uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact dr. Jeroen Famaey (Voir email sur uantwerpen.be) and dr. Andrey Belogaev (Voir email sur uantwerpen.be)

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversityand attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.