First Stage Researcher MATCH Project (Portugal)

( When applying to this position, please also apply at https://match.iscte-iul.pt/phd-candidates-profiles/apply-to-dc-positions/ )

In an increasingly connected world, the pandemic has highlighted just how essential telecom networks are to keeping society running. The Network Infrastructure group is at the heart of a revolution to connectivity, pushing the boundaries to deliver more and faster network capacity to people worldwide through our ambition, innovation, and technical expertise

 Join Optical Networks division, where innovation meets scale in the AI-driven data center era. With the recent acquisition of Infinera, we’ve united two industry leaders to create an optical networking powerhouse—combining cutting-edge technology with proven leadership to redefine the future of connectivity.

Infinera is now part of the Nokia Corporation and its subsidiaries. When you apply, the information you share will be handled with care and used only for recruitment purposes within the group. 
 

We are looking for an excellent intern professional with a master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or physics to join our Optical Architecture Group in Lisbon, Portugal and enroll in a PhD programme. The PhD work is part of the Doctoral Network (DN) MATCH funded by the European Commission and it will be carried out at our premises in Lisbon. As part of the training activities, the candidate will also have the opportunity to perform secondments at other project partner institutions, such as Universite de Limoges (France), Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) and Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE).

The evolution of optical fiber technologies and systems is paramount to sustain ever more demanding applications such as 6G, cloud services, and AI/ML applications. Particularly, the training of large-scale AI/ML models, such as large language models (LLMs), is already driving an immense increase in intra-data center capacity requirements, which is expected to expand also to inter-data center connections. As a result, the existing fiber infrastructure will reach its limits, driving the need to investigate future solutions to cost-effectively scale capacity. One promising approach is to resort to a multi-core fiber (MCF) infrastructure with the aim to improve key metrics such as core-density, power consumption and cost. Since deploying a new fiber infrastructure at scale is very capital intensive, leveraging MCF properties to support additional applications over that same infrastructure (e.g., advanced sensing), would be paramount to improve return on investment.

The research and development work will focus on the design of application-aware high-capacity optical networks, considering single- and multi-band (MB) MCF systems supporting both telecom and non-telecom (e.g., sensing) applications. The main objectives include:

(1) Investigate accurate and scalable transmission models that allow planning and operating MB-MCF systems. Experimental validation of the proposed models whenever possible.

(2) Investigate cost-effective and scalable optical node architectures compatible with the target set of applications.

(3) Evaluate the impact of supporting sensing applications on traditional telecom services (and vice-versa). Define operational conditions required to ensure co-existence of telecom and non-telecom applications over the same fiber infrastructure and maximize system capacity.

(4) Benchmark MCF-based solutions versus single-core fiber alternatives. Complement the benchmarking with techno-economic analyses.

Within the framework of this program, the candidate will work most of the time at the site of Infinera in Lisbon, where he/she will be part of a multi-disciplinary architecture team that actively contributes to the definition and implementation of Infinera’s next-generation optical line system and planning tools.

 

About the doctoral network MATCH

The doctoral network Multicore fiber Applications and TeCHnologies (MATCH) brings together a multidisciplinary and intersectorial consortium of international experts that will steer a cohort of 13 doctoral candidates (DCs) in advanced research on optical fiber technology and applications, focusing on multi-core fiber (MCF). This doctoral network will cover a wide range of topics, including design and fabrication of beyond state-of-the-art MCFs, development of MCF components and subsystems (e.g., amplifiers, switches), implementation of system-level performance estimation models and design of solutions enabling co-existence of telecom and non-telecom (e.g., sensing) applications over MCF-based networks.

MATCH includes as beneficiaries and partners key industry players – Heraeus Quarzglas (Germany), Draka Comteq (France) and FBGS International (Belgium) – and prominent universities and research institutes – ISCTE (project coordinator, Portugal), Universite de Limoges (France), Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Spain), University of Stuttgart (Germany), CNRS (France), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel), DTU (Denmark), Universita degli Studi Dell’Aquila (Italy) and Universite de Lille (France).

• Investigate models to estimate the quality of transmission (QoT) of the target MB-MCF systems in an accurate and computationally efficient way. Implement the selected QoT models as extensions to existing software tools;
• Design cost-effective and scalable node architectures for MB-MCF systems and model the key parameters impacting performance;
• Execute detailed techno-economic comparisons between the target MB-MCF systems and the main alternatives to realize high-capacity networks;
• Investigate the main requirements and performance impacting aspects of sensing applications developed in the project and define the operational conditions to ensure co-existence of telecom and non-telecom applications;
• Work collaboratively with other forward-thinking team members and external researchers from academic and industry;
• Write and present internal and public reports and deliverables;
• Write and present technical papers in high-impact journals and conferences from the IEEE and OPTICA.

• Understanding of digital communications and telecommunications systems;
• Knowledge of the most relevant subsystems of an optical communication system (i.e., transceivers, modulators, optical amplifiers, optical switches) and familiar with optical node architectures;
• Experience with optical transmission models and digital signal processing;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. The candidate must be able to convey the results of the investigation work clearly and concisely in written form as well as in oral communications;
• Programming experience in Matlab, Python, Julia, or similar. The candidate must be able to develop his/her own simulation tools, or extend existing ones, to carry out the necessary analysis;
• Highly attentive to detail, motivated, and possessing troubleshooting skills.
   

Education / Experience: 

• Master’s in electrical engineering/computer science/physics;
• B2-C1 English Level.

 

When applying to this position, please also apply at https://match.iscte-iul.pt/phd-candidates-profiles/apply-to-dc-positions/
 

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