Postdoctoral position in in wireless communications at millimeter-waves - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy encompasses a wide range of physics topics, distributed over ten divisions. The department is located in the Ångström laboratory and employs nearly 400 people, 125 of whom are doctoral students. It offers a broad physics curriculum to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, and opportunities for partnership with industry and various outreach activities.

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At the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the FREIA division is responsible for the FREIA laboratory and performs research towards future particle accelerators and instrumentation. The FREIA laboratory hosts a first-class infrastructure including a helium liquefier, cryostats and high-power RF stations for testing superconducting accelerator equipment such as magnets and accelerating cavities and modules. In addition, a user facility housing a femtosecond UV laser is under commissioning. FREIA also participates in many national and international design studies for new accelerator facilities. The Ångtröm campus, where FREIA is located, hosts a fully equipped clean room of 2,000 m2, and facilities for electrical engineering with microwave CAD (ADS, CST, HFSS), and advanced measurement equipment (VNA, spectrum analysers).

Duties/Project description 
The position is financed under the large EU project AIDAinnova. in which the successful candidate will contribute to work package 13 dedicated to prospective and technology-driven detector R&D. More specifically, this project covers Multi-Gigabit Wireless Data Transfer for High-Energy Physics applications.[MO2] 

The data from detectors around the particle collision points are normally propagated through long cables.  However, the presence of the cables in the detector volume can degrade the performance of the measurement (scattering, nuclear interactions), impact the installation and suffer important latencies (axial readout). The WADAPT project proposes the use of wireless readout to transfer data. Wireless interfaces offer an elegant and cheaper option to cables. It allows ultra-low latency, direct communication between layers that can be used for local data reduction through machine learning, radial readout which benefits topological reconstruction of data in real time.

The research project will include a mix of theoretical and experimental work, with specialization on millimeterwave wireless communications. The candidate will have the opportunity to study the design of low cost, low mass, low power consumption wireless, high data-rate nodes enabling multi-Gb/s point to point communication with e.g. BER < 10-12 while considering radiation hardness, and low latency. These communication nodes would be needed for upgrading High Energy Physics research facilities, such as ATLAS at CERN and follow the latest 5G developments. The research comprises also the design, implementation and evaluation of new highly directive antennas and antenna arrays prototypes, targeting the frequency band between 57 - 66 GHz. More specific duties:

• Development of wireless high data rate wireless nodes enabling multi-Gb/s communication
• Development of millimeterwave antennas and antenna arrays
• Characterization of point to point communication nodes
• Realize antenna measurements at millimeter waves, testing and demonstration of the operation of wireless nodes within the high energy physics context
• Project follow-up and reporting

Requirements
To qualify for an employment as a postdoctor you must have a PhD degree or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering. The PhD degree must have been obtained no more than three years prior to the application deadline. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

Additional qualifications
We are looking for qualified and motivated candidates with a strong interest in microwave engineering and wireless communications. The applicant should preferably have experience in FPGA programming, antenna design techniques and prove experimental work in microwave engineering. The candidate shall have completed his/her PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics [MO3] or equivalent, with classes in microwave engineering. Excellent grades are a merit. The candidate should preferably [MO4] have experience with the use of a microwave network analyzer (VNA), software for calculating electromagnetic fields like HFSS, CST or similar, and be familiar with the main concepts that are fundamental for antenna design. Being able to write applications for research grants from external sources is a plus. Very good oral and written proficiency in English is a requirement as well as the capacity to work both independently and in a team. The project includes travel for research and to conferences, details are available on request. The proven ability to apply for research grants from external sources, would be considered as a plus.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1 Februari 2023 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Dragos Dancila, e-mail: dragos.dancila@angstrom.uu.se, phone +46 72 366 31 80 and Richard Brenner, email: richard.brenner@physics.uu.se, phone +46 73 469 76 15

Please submit your application by 16 Januari 2023, UFV-PA 2022/4770

Application should include a brief description of research interests and relevant experience, CV, copies of certificates and diplomas, MSc thesis, PhD diploma and other documents which the applicant wishes to refer to. The applicant is invited to provide names and contact details of referees and/or attach recommendation letters.

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