15 PhD positions in the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Project MINTS (MIllimeter-wave NeTworking and Sensing for Beyond 5G)

Posted on Oct 01, 2019

KU Leuven
Leuven, Belgiu

Job description
Applicants are invited for 15 PhD positions (“Early Stage Researchers”, ESRs) to be funded by the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network “MINTS – MIllimeter-wave NeTworking and Sensing for Beyond 5G” within the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Commission.

MINTS provides a unique system-oriented training to 15 ESRs, nurturing a new generation of innovators thanks to internationally recognized researchers with broad experience in research, training, and participation in EU, national, and industry-sponsored projects. With the intensive involvement of industrial beneficiaries and partner organisations (Nokia, NEC, Sony, NI, IMEC, Proximus, Italtel), the ESRs will obtain in-depth knowledge and skills in mmWave networks and its key applications. This interdisciplinary and intersectoral training is an essential component of each ESR’s PhD. The 15 ESRs are distributed over 7 beneficiaries in 6 countries: KU Leuven (Belgium), IMDEA Networks Institute (Spain), TU Darmstadt (Germany), NEC (Germany), University of Padua (Italy), Lund University (Sweden), and Nokia Bell Labs (Ireland). Additionally, the consortium is completed by 7 partner organisations: IMEC (Belgium), Proximus (Belgium), NI (Germany), Carlos III University of Madrid (Spain), Italtel (Italy), Maynooth University (Ireland), and Sony (Sweden).

Each of the 15 ESRs will be working towards a PhD degree, supported by a carefully chosen supervisory team that maximizes both scientific excellence as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration. The 15 MINTS ESRs will not only receive state-of-the-art science/technology training but will also benefit from a unique soft-skills training programme. The interdisciplinary and inter-domain training will make MINTS ESRs highly employable in various industries (such as the EU telecommunication vendors and operators Nokia, Eriksson, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, and Vodafone), academia, or public government bodies.

Key dates

• July 21 2019: Launch of 15 ESR Positions recruitment
• Oct 31 2019: Deadline for on-line application
• Nov 30 2019: Circulation list “preselected candidates”
• Dec 2019: MINTS Recruitment Event (exact date to be decided)
• Dec 2019: Circulation list “recruited MINTS ESRs” (within one week after the Recruitment Event)
• Mar 1 2020: Targeted starting date for ESR contracts

Recruitment

MINTS wishes to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background. Recruitment targets ESR backgrounds in:

1. Wireless communication
2. Mobile Networks
3. Signal Processing
4. Electronic Engineering
5. Computer Science

In total 15 ESRs will be recruited that will work at the 7 beneficiaries across Europe.

We expect that applicants hold a university degree that qualifies them for doctoral studies at their recruiting organization. Solid written and oral communication skills in English are prerequisites of any successful application (typically IELTS min. 7, TOEFL internet-based min. 90 or similar level as proven by other tests). Every applicant can apply for up to three ESR positions (first, second, third choice)

Career Stage
Early Stage Researcher (ESR) or 0-4 yrs (Post Graduate)

Benefits and salary
The successful candidates will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for ESRs. The fellowship will consist of a competitive salary. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations and on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in the different EU Member States). The salary includes a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if married). The guaranteed PhD funding covered by the training network is for 36 months (i.e. EC funding, additional funding is possible, depending on the local Supervisor, and in accordance with the regular PhD time in the country of origin). In addition to their individual scientific projects, all fellows will benefit from further continuing education, which includes internships and secondments, a variety of training modules as well as transferable skills courses and active participation in workshops and conferences.

On-line Recruitment Procedure
All applications proceed through the on-line recruitment portal on the b5g-mints.eu website. Candidates apply electronically for one to maximum three positions and indicate their preference. Candidates provide all requested information including a detailed CV – Europass format obligatory – and motivation letter. During the registration, applicants will need to prove that they are eligible (cf. ESR definition, mobility criteria, and English language proficiency). The deadline for the on-line registration is 31 October 2019.
The MINTS Recruitment Committee selects between 20 and maximum of 30 candidates for the Recruitment Event which will take place in Leuven (Belgium) (Dec 2019). The selected candidates provide a 20-minute presentation and are interviewed by the Recruitment Committee. Candidates will be given a domain-relevant peer-reviewed paper (prior to the recruitment event) by their prioritised Supervisor and will be asked questions about this paper during the interview to check if the candidate has the right background/profile for the ESR position. Prior to the recruitment event, skype interviews between the Supervisors and the candidates are recommended, along with on-line personality tests. In order to facilitate their travel, selected candidates (from outside Belgium) receive a reimbursement up to 500 euros (paid by the prioritised Supervisor). In order to avoid delays in reimbursements, candidates are asked to keep all invoices and tickets (cf. train, plane, hotel…). The final decision on who to recruit is communicated within one week after the Recruitment Event (Dec 2019). The selected ESRs are to start their research as quickly as possible (target: 1 March 2020).

Applicants need to fully respect three eligibility criteria (to demonstrated in the Europass cv):

Early-stage researchers (ESR) are those who are, at the time of recruitment by the host, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate was envisaged.

Conditions of international mobility of researchers:
Researchers are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.
English language: Network fellows (ESRs) must demonstrate that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive the full benefit from the network training.
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The 15 available PhD positions to cooperate in a European Network and follow a dedicated training program:
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ESR1: Efficient channel estimation and beam training with (partial) channel state information
ESR2: Machine learning-enabled fast and hybrid mmWave beam tracking
ESR3: Fully digital massive MIMO mmWave communication for mission-critical applications
ESR4: Advanced localization and mapping techniques
ESR5: Exploiting mmWave radios for indoor and outdoor environmental sensing
ESR6: Fully digital massive MIMO mmWave positioning
ESR7: Efficient network control for large and highly dense mmWave deployments
ESR8: Ultra-dense cell-free mmWave deployment
ESR9: Resilient multi-RAT techniques to reduce link failure rate
ESR10: Prediction-based mobility management for resilient mmWave networking
ESR11: MAC/Physical layer security of mmWave networks
ESR12: Interference-aware multi-connectivity for industry 4.0
ESR13: Delay jitter bounding through inter-layer coordination and multi-path for industry 4.0
ESR14: Context- and content-awareness in V2X communication
ESR15: Real-time high-throughput AR