Vacant job

We draw strength from over 50,000 students and employees. Students who give hope for the future. Employees who every day contribute to Linköping University tackling today's challenges. Our core values rest on credibility, trust, and security. By being brave, thinking freely, and doing new things, we create a better future together, through both large and small actions. Welcome to apply for a job with us!

We are now looking for a PhD student in communication systems at the Department of Electrical Engineering (ISY).

Your responsibilities

The position is anchored within the newly established interdisciplinary Centre for Heterogeneous Adaptive Swarm Systems (CHASS). The centre is a national initiative, funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), with the aim of bringing together leading researchers in AI, autonomous systems, robotics, and swarm intelligence to develop new solutions for autonomous heterogeneous swarm systems to benefit Swedish industry and society. The vision is to make Sweden a leader in intelligent, adaptive, and reliable swarm systems by developing autonomous heterogeneous collectives of space-, air-, land-, surface-, and underwater platforms that can function as a unified intelligent whole with minimal human intervention.

The research programme covers six main areas: drone design, adaptation, and production; perception, sensors, and communication; autonomy, localization, mapping, and navigation; coordination, self-control, and self-improvement; human-swarm interaction; and swarm-based services and socio-technical aspects. The PhD position in this call focuses on research related to the coordination, self-control, and continuous improvement of autonomous swarm systems.

CHASS will conduct world-class research on autonomous swarm systems in a strong, stimulating, and internationally integrated research environment. Research results will be validated in real-world scenarios together with industrial partners and public sector actors. CHASS will also serve as a national hub for autonomous swarm systems, promoting education, knowledge sharing, innovation, and policy development. As a PhD student within CHASS, you will work at the forefront of drone swarm technology in a multidisciplinary environment and belong to an initial group of approximately 15 PhD students linked to the centre.

The research subjects are located at the intersection of perception, sensor technology, and communication, with a particular focus on distributed radar and communication over drone swarms, distributed coherent processing, and distributed synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

As a PhD student, you will engage in your doctoral studies and the research project you are part of. Your work may also include teaching or participation in other departmental duties, up to 20 percent of full-time.

Your qualifications

You have completed an advanced level degree in electrical and systems engineering or applied mathematics by having at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at an advanced level, in electrical and systems engineering or applied mathematics. Alternatively, you have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way. The requirement for the degree must be met no later than the time when the employment decision is made, i.e., when the employment contract is signed.

We are looking for you who have strong mathematical maturity and very good programming skills, as the research involves advanced signal processing and algorithm development. Since the activity is carried out in an international environment, you must be fluent in English in both speech and writing. You have good teamwork skills and enjoy working together with others. Furthermore, you work in a goal- and result-oriented manner and have a well-developed problem-solving ability, where you approach complex issues with an analytical and structured perspective.

Your workplace

The Division of Communication Systems (KS) at ISY conducts research as well as undergraduate and doctoral education in communication technology, statistical signal processing, network theory, and decentralized machine learning. Read more about us here: https://liu.se/organisation/liu/isy/ks (https://liu.se/organisation/liu/isy/ks).

More information about ISY can be found here: https://liu.se/artikel/lediga-tjanster-pa-isy (https://liu.se/artikel/lediga-tjanster-pa-isy).

About the position

Upon commencement of employment, you will be admitted to the doctoral programme. Read more about the respective faculty's doctoral education https://liu.se/forskning/forskarutbildning (https://liu.se/forskning/forskarutbildning).

The employment is fixed-term for normally four years full-time. Extension of employment up to five years occurs based on the extent of teaching and departmental duties. In special cases, further extension may occur. You are initially employed for one year, and thereafter the employment is renewed for up to two years at a time, based on the achieved study plan.

Please contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) if you have questions about what it is like to work as a PhD student at ISY.

Start date by agreement.

A security clearance may be conducted before a decision on employment is made.

Salary and benefits

The PhD student salary is regulated based on a locally agreed salary scale. Read more about benefits for employees https://liu.se/jobba-pa-liu/formaner (https://liu.se/jobba-pa-liu/formaner).

Union representatives

Information about union representatives, see https://liu.se/jobba-pa-liu/hjalp-for-sokande (https://liu.se/jobba-pa-liu/hjalp-for-sokande).

Application

You apply for this position by clicking the "Apply" button below. Your application must be received by Linköping University no later than July 6, 2026. Applications received after the last application date will not be considered.

We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, as this enriches and develops our operations. For us, it is obvious to uphold everyone's equal value, rights, and opportunities. Read about our work with equal conditions (https://liu.se/artikel/lika-villkor/).

Welcome with your application!

Linköping University has procured agreements and declines direct contact from staffing and recruitment agencies as well as sellers of job advertisements.