Postdoctoral Researcher – Wireless Communication and Sensing/ UAV networks (Dublin)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Wireless Communication and Sensing/ UAV networks (Dublin)

About Tyndall
Tyndall National Institute is an international leader in semiconductors, photonics and deep-tech research and innovation. As a leading collaborative European research institute, Tyndall is a key actor and hosting partner in the delivery of the ‘Chips for Europe Initiative’ (EU Chips Act).

Tyndall is Ireland’s leading research and innovation organisation and it is the national focal point for excellence in deep-tech research, development and graduate training at the convergence of nanotechnology, microelectronics, photonics, electronics and AI. Tyndall is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security, Energy and Climate Mitigation, emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms.

The Institute’s key objective is to see frontier research activities having a significant impact on economic development and societal challenges in Ireland, Europe and beyond. Central to Tyndall’s mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence in partnership with industry and academia. With an annual turnover of more than €50m, the Institute has a community of over 600 researchers, engineers, support staff, postgraduate students, interns and industry researchers-in-residence.

With significant committed Irish government support, Tyndall will grow to be 1,000 people by 2030, with approximately 750 researchers, including 250 PhD students. A new 17,000 m2 research building is under development adjacent to the Cork headquarters and there are developing plans to expand Tyndall’s existing Dublin research labs and to establish other research sites within Ireland.

Tyndall’s expansion is also supported by recent national and EU funding wins for significant (M€10’s) additional research equipment across a range of areas such as semiconductor processing, microscopy, quantum technologies, heterogeneous integration, ultra-high speed optical communications and RF through THz characterisation.

About the Team
Tyndall’s Wireless Communications Laboratory is based in  Dublin, with outdoor test facilities located in parks and wildlife areas nearby. The post offers a superb opportunity for an ambitious individual to work collaboratively on exciting, cutting-edge science at the interface between academia, industry and across multiple teams. To support their research, the successful candidate will have access to fully equipped facilities which include:

• Heavy-duty UAV platforms and dedicated test sites
• An inventory of SDRs including USRPs, RF test equipment, anechoic chambers, antenna fabrication capabilities
• Advanced simulation software and dedicated compute clusters

About the Role
The Tyndall National Institute Wireless Communications Laboratory is recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher in Wireless Sensing and Communication  for UAV and non-terrestrial platforms within the Royal Society project SONGBIRD. This role will lead the development of waveforms, antenna array prototypes, and joint radar/communications signal processing for  portable UAV payloads, validated on SDR hardware and field trials with stakeholder partners across Dublin and beyond.

As part of this it is expected that follow-up opportunities within the lab will be available  to support the research and career ambitions of the successful candidate.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop beamforming and direction-finding solutions for multi-antenna systems, including AoA estimation and array processing, while ensuring ensuring robustness to multipath effects.
• Develop sensing waveforms and receiver processing suitable for UAV operation, including ranging/velocity estimation, clutter and interference mitigation, and performance evaluation in realistic environments.
• Implement and validate algorithms using programming languages such as C++, Julia, Python and MATLAB.
• Deploy the created solutions on configurable hardware and verify their performance in real-world trials involving ground transmitters and UAVs.
• Disseminate research achievements through publications in leading journals and at leading conferences.
• Co-supervise, support and mentor postgraduate students as required.
• Participate in Education and Public Engagement activities, as required.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the Tyndall Quality Management system.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the required Health and Safety standards.
• Carry out any additional duties as may be reasonably required within the general scope and level of the post.