PhD scholarship in Silicon Photonics for Optical Neural Networks – DTU Electro

If you want to establish your career as an early-stage researcher and is currently looking for the best possible foundation for your dreams and ambitions, it is right here in front of you. With this PhD position, we offer you the possibility of establishing your career as a scientist in photonic integrated circuits based optical computing. You will be working in DTU Electro, in the new Photonic Integrated Circuit based Systems (PICSys) group.
If you want to establish your career as an early-stage researcher and is currently looking for the best possible foundation for your dreams and ambitions, it is right here in front of you. With this PhD position, we offer you the possibility of establishing your career as a scientist in photonic integrated circuits based optical computing. You will be working in DTU Electro, in the new Photonic Integrated Circuit based Systems (PICSys) group. The setting will be the cutting-edge laboratory for advanced optical and digital signal processing and integrated photonics devices, and the access to one of the largest cleanroom facilities in European Universities. You will be working with a group of professionals in optical computing, optical phased arrays, integrated photonics devices, and optical and digital signal processing. You will break new ground at the optical neural networks (ONNs) by harnessing the power of a radically new digitized optical computing architecture.

The PhD position is fully funded by Villum Fonden under the Villum Young Investigator program project titled “Digital Optical Neural Network processor (DONN)”.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your overall focus will be to strengthen the department’s competences within the field of optical computing and optical neural networks. You will work closely with colleagues, and with our collaborators both academic and industrial partners in Denmark as well as abroad.

Your primary tasks will include:

• Carry out research on the integrated digital optical neural networks.
• Design and develop relevant silicon photonics integrated circuit, tape out for foundry and packaging services.
• Conduct system demonstrations in real-world neural network applications such as natural language processing tasks with our collaborators in the University of Copenhagen.
• Disseminating your research findings in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals and international conference proceedings.
• Strengthening our international collaboration with academic and industrial partners through your external stay.
• Following courses on topics related with your project, either at DTU or other institution.
• Contributing to teaching and supervision tasks at DTU.

Your required qualifications and skills are:

• Excellent English communication skills both spoken and written.
• A master level education in the fields of silicon photonics, optical computing, or optical signal processing.

As an ideal candidate, you should also have:

• A solid background in optical computing, or optical neural networks.
• Experience in simulation, design, and characterization of silicon photonics devices and circuits. Prior experience in a cleanroom environment is a plus.
• A comprehensive understanding of microelectronics and working experience with FPGAs, high-speed transceivers, and PCB design.
• The ability to work independently while effectively collaborating in projects with both academic and industrial partners.
• Experience in research dissemination, either publications or presentations.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education.

Assessment
The assessment will be made by Researcher Deming Kong and Senior Researcher Hao Hu.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years. Starting date is preferably 1 September2024, but may be mutually agreed.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Deming Kong, [email protected].

You can read more about DTU Electro at https://electro.dtu.dk/.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 31 May 2024 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• A research statement discussing your comprehension of optical computing for neural network applications, including an analysis of the opportunities, challenges, obstacles, etc. You are more than welcome to include your research results and justify how the results could contribute to this research field, if any. Maximum 2 pages.

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion, or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

DTU Electro
DTU Electro employs more than 300 skilled researchers with competencies in electrical and photonics engineering. As a department we strive towards creating sustainable energy and a greener internet, as well as strengthening cyber security and health technology. Working with the industry and public organizations is one of our top priorities to find and implement new solutions to our society. We aim to offer education, research, and innovation of the highest standard, and our focus on application-oriented research enables us to work across many engineering disciplines and research areas, such as IT and the medical and health sciences. We have a close collaboration with researchers from all over the world, just as we collaborate with industry and public authorities about the dissemination of solutions based on electrical and photonics engineering as their key enabling technologies.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.

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