PhD on the topic: FPGA-based computing system design (1.0 FTE) (V24.0372)

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have a distinct advantage over fixed-function application-specific integrated circuits due to their reconfiguration capability. However, this reconfiguration comes at the cost of performance. This PhD position aims to bridge this performance gap through customizations, while maintaining substantial flexibility and scalability.

Organisation
Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education, offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programmes and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 34,000 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents. As one of the best research universities in Europe, the University of Groningen has joined forces with other top universities and networks worldwide to become a truly global center of knowledge.

Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, a 4-year interdisciplinary PhD position is available at the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. The candidate will become a member of Dr. Farhad Merchant’s Research Group working on Innovative Computer Architectures and Hardware Security, and will be supervised by Dr Farhad Merchant.

• Master degree or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field with excellent grades.
• Sound knowledge of computer hardware design and synthesis tools (ASIC, FPGA).
• Excellent programming and scripting skills.
• Excellent English communication, presentation, and writing skills.
• Must be a team player.
• Knowledge of FPGA-based system design is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of chiplets is an added advantage.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• A salary of € 2,770 (salary scale PhD candidates) gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,539 gross per month in the fourth and final year, based on a full-time position.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
• A temporary position of one year with the option of renewal for another three years; prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that you will successfully complete your PhD thesis within the next three years. A PhD training programme is part of the agreement.

Intended start date: 1 November 2024

Please submit the following material, concatenated in a single PDF file and upload this file as your ‘Letter of Motivation’ by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website):

• A cover letter motivating your application and detailing the motivation to apply for this specific PhD project (1 page max).
• An academic CV.
• A research statement (2 pages max) describing your personal research interests and previous research projects.
• A certified list of grades from your undergraduate degree(s) up to the moment of application (in case your MSc degree has not yet been awarded).
• The names and e-mail addresses of 3 academic referees who are willing and able to write recommendation letters for you, including the supervisor of your MSc research project.

You may apply for this position until 29 August 11:59pm / before 30 August 2024 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Applications will be evaluated as received.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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