Closing date: January 31, 2006

PhD-Student on Polymer Optical Fibre In-House Networks (V36.282)at Department of Electrical Engineering.

The Department of Electrical Engineering concerns the research and education of the Electrical Engineering discipline. Electrical Engineering covers the application of electrical phenomena with respect to energy transfer, telecommunication, and calculation and processing of information and the technology involved. Both hardware, in the form of electronic circuits and accessories, and software, in the form of system software for electro-technical application, are the subject of study. Existing and new electrical components and systems are analyzed, designed and realized. In addition, the maintenance of these systems is the subject of research, as is the relevance for society of electrical engineering and informatics.

The vacant Ph. D. student position is in the Electro-Optical Communication Systems (ECO) group, part of the COBRA Research Institute, in the Department of Electrical Engineering of Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. In the ECO group, research is done in the area of optical fibre communication networks and their supporting techniques, ranging from ultra-high capacity long distance transport and ultra-fast optical signal processing to versatile broadband user access.

Tasks
The bandwidth demands of consumers are growing considerably, driven by the increasing speed of internet services, fast file transfer, multimedia services, video distribution, etc. Polymer optical fibre (POF) is an attractive transport medium for short-range networks (such as inside buildings) as it is easy to install due to its large light-guiding core, yet having clearly lower losses and higher bandwidth and than copper media. Moreover, it is immune to electromagnetic interferences. Silica single-mode optical fibre, which is used widely for longer-reach networks, has the ultimate bandwidth and loss characteristics, but installation costs are relatively high whereas this ultimate performance is not required in in-house networks.

The European joint research project POF-ALL, part of the EC’s 6th Framework Programme, will investigate system techniques as well as new component concepts for cost-efficient broadband in-house POF networks. The project is an international collaboration between industrial and academic groups.

In this project, the tasks for the Ph. D. student in the ECO group will be to conceive, design, realize and test novel signal modulation techniques in a system context, which enable high capacity signal transport on bandwidth-limited POF links, as well as efficient multiplexing of different signal streams with various characteristics.

Requirements
Candidates for this challenging project should have a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or in Applied Physics. He/she should have a strong affinity with optical and data communication techniques, and preferably some hands-on experience with optical fibre systems and electronic circuits.

Appointment and Salary
The appointment is for four years. As an employee of the university you will receive a competitive salary as well as excellent secondary benefits (holiday allowance, etc.). The research in this project must be concluded with the attainment of a Ph.D. degree. A salary is offered starting at Euro 1877,00 per month (gross) in the first year and increasing up to Euro 2407,00 per month (gross) in the last year. Moreover 8% bonus share (holiday supplement) is provided annually. Assistance for finding accommodation can be given.

Information
If you are interested in this Ph.D. position, please send a detailed curriculum vitae, an explanation of your interest in the proposed research topic, a publication list, your course programme and corresponding grades, references and all other information that might be relevant to your application to the address below, mentioning vacancy number V36.282.

Eindhoven University of Technology
COBRA Research Institute
f.a.o. prof.ir. A.M.J. Koonen (EH11.33)
P.O. 513
NL 5600 MB Eindhoven
The Netherlands

For further information on the project you can contact prof.ir.A.M.J. Koonen ( a.m.j.koonen@tue.nl),+31 40 2474806 or ir. H.P.A. van den Boom ( h.p.a.v.d.boom@tue.nl), +31 40 2473444. For information concerning employment conditions you can contact Ms. F. Verheggen, personnel officer ( f.verheggen@tue.nl), +31 04 2474796.

Application
Eindhoven University of Technology
COBRA Research Institute
f.a.o. prof.ir. A.M.J. Koonen (EH11.33)
P.O. 513
NL 5600 MB Eindhoven
The Netherlands