Openings at ELCA

Vacancy not active

PhD position in Power Management Integrated Circuits and Systems

Opening for: PhD student

Autonomous sensors and wearable electronic devices are wireless measurement and communication systems employed in various applications from healthcare, environmental monitoring to IoT networks. Most of current devices fully rely on batteries to sustain their operations. However, conventional batteries need to be periodically replaced or charged, which can be highly unpractical or even unfeasible in some specific cases. In order to make these devices fully autonomous, they need to be self-powered by harvesting ambient energy and/or wirelessly powered. In the past decade, these power solutions have drawn significant research interests in both industry and academia along with the exponentially growing markets of IoT sensors, wearable electronics and biomedical devices.

In this project, we are going to design low-power, energy-efficient and highly integrated power management integrated circuits (PMIC) to provide stable and reliable power solutions for IoT applications. We are looking for a Ph.D. candidate with a background in analogue integrated circuit design. Though prior tape-out experience is not required, it is highly appreciated. The candidate should be a self-motivated researcher with excellent learning, analytical, problem-solving and communication skills.

To apply for this position, please send the following documents to the contact below.

• A detailed CV
• Motivation letter (1 page max)
• B.Sc. and M.Sc. Transcripts
• Names and contact information of at least two referees.

 

Contact

dr. Sijun Du

Assistant Professor

Electronic Instrumentation Group

Department of Microelectronics

Additional information

In The Netherlands, almost all PhD positions are linked to funded research projects. This has several implications:

• PhD students are employed: they receive a salary rather than a grant. Most projects have a duration of 4 years.
• Positions become available once a project is funded. This can happen at any time during the year.
• It typically takes 6 to 9 months for a project proposal to receive funding. In this period, a position may be anticipated but the outcome remains insecure. Once a project is funded, the open position needs to be filled as soon as possible.

If you are interested in our research, it merits to inquire whether openings will be available. We collect resumes of prospective PhD students throughout the year, for each of our research tracks.

General requirements

We make our selection based on the following general requirements:

• Formal requirements regarding prior education: you should have earned an MSc degree at a recognized institute for higher education.
• Background: this depends on the specific project.
• Excellence: your Grade-Point-Average should be above 8 (10). Also your MSc thesis should have received a grade above 8 (10).
• English: you should be able to communicate well in english (written and oral). Provide TOEFL/IELTS scores if available.
• Originality: your MSc thesis or later work (publications) should reflect some original ideas. Critical and independent thinking is very important.
• Team player: you should be able to work well in a team of other project members.

Your resume should contain contact information of prior advisors/supervisors who can provide feedback.