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Project Description

Doctoral Field: Information and Communication Technology

Global connectivity relies heavily on terrestrial fiber-optic cables, but their physical vulnerabilities, high installation costs, and sustainability aspects require a new approach. Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks (SAGIN) offer a new solution by integrating space-, air-, and ground-based nodes for seamless coverage everywhere. Since light travels approximately 1.5 times faster in space than through fiber cables, modern mega-constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) can deliver redundancy with low latency, security, and high capacity that competes with traditional terrestrial networks.

In this doctoral project, you will contribute to the development of SAGIN, with a special focus on two-layer space-ground integrated networks. The goal is to develop the architectural concepts and AI frameworks needed to deliver reliable, low-latency communication over satellite networks. A central hypothesis in this project is that the introduction of automation and network-aware coordination can overcome the vulnerabilities of manual operations, thereby mitigating the severe effects of orbital dynamics, space weather, and altitude congestion. Methods from satellite communication theory, network optimization, and machine learning will play a key role. The research will be highly theoretical and algorithmic, focusing on the optimization of thousands of dynamic communication nodes.

You will work at the Department of Communication Systems at the EECS School. The research is linked to the research center SMART 6GSAT (funded by the Foundation for Strategic Research).

Supervision: Irem Bor-Yaliniz, Cicek Cavdar, and Emil Björnson are proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made upon admission.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to doctoral studies (Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility:

• completed a degree at an advanced level, or
• fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, including at least 60 higher education credits at an advanced level, or
• acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way, within or outside the country.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English corresponding to English B/6.

Selection

To succeed in your doctoral studies at KTH, you need to be goal-oriented and persistent in your work. In the selection of applicants, the ability to:

• independently drive your work forward,
• collaborate with others,
• maintain a professional attitude,
• analyze and work with complex issues,
• and have good communication skills in English, as this is required for daily work.

After meeting the eligibility requirements, great weight will be placed on personal qualities.

Final Degree: Doctorate

Information about Admission and Employment

Only those admitted to doctoral studies may be employed as doctoral students. The total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education over four years. An employed doctoral student may, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within, for example, education and administration. A new employment as a doctoral student is valid for a maximum of one year; thereafter, the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

As a doctoral student, you will receive KTH's employment benefits and have a monthly salary according to KTH's agreement for doctoral salaries. Read more about Doctoral Studies at KTH | KTH | Sweden.

Union Representatives

Contact details for union representatives.

Doctoral Student Section (Student Union of the Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact details for the doctoral student section.

Application

You apply via KTH's recruitment system. As an applicant, you are primarily responsible for ensuring your application is complete when submitted.

The application should include the following:

• Copies of degree certificates and transcripts from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• CV with relevant professional experience and skills.
• Cover letter with a brief account of why you wish to pursue doctoral studies, your academic interests, and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Max 2 pages)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please attach an abstract and a web link to the full text.

The application must be received by KTH no later than the last day of application at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Other

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It may occur that an employment at KTH is classified in a security class. If this applies to this specific employment, a security clearance check will be conducted on the applicant in accordance with the Security Protection Act (2018:585) with consent. In these cases, a condition for employment is that the applicant is approved after the security clearance check.

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