PhD Position Operational Performance of Antenna Arrays in Presence of Heterogeneous Environment

PhD Position Operational Performance of Antenna Arrays in Presence of Heterogeneous Environment

Antenna are eyes of any wireless system, from telecom to sensing. Join us as a PhD student to research on antennas which precisely point to a user in complex environment.

The key open challenge in the current state‑of‑art is to predict operational radiation patterns of antenna arrays, including the impact of the environment. This PhD project focuses on the operational performance of antenna arrays in the presence of surface ducts, with the objective of developing a procedure to reconstruct surface duct properties using external transmitters and predict realistic radiation of ship‑based antenna arrays within such an environment.

Both the surface duct impact on naval radar operation and the use of the developed procedure to predict radar performance will be studied.

From a methodological perspective, the challenges will be tackled through a mix of theory, algorithm design, and analysis of experimental data, partly collected by the applicant and partly acquired through collaborations with research partners in Europe.

• Conduct in‑depth research on EM wave propagation in complex environments.
• Formulate the inversion problem to reconstruct environmental properties using received signals from a variety of EM wave sources located in different positions.
• Propose and implement computationally efficient solutions of the inverse problem.
• Predict performance of a sensing system in such environments.
• Collect experimental data to verify theoretical results and test algorithms.
• Contribute to the scientific community’s knowledge through high‑quality publications.
• Collaborate with partner academic institutions and research organizations to stay connected with the latest developments and foster collaborative opportunities.
• Prepare and defend the Ph.D. thesis, which summarizes the results of the research.

• MSc degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Microwave Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong background in signal processing and wireless systems (telecom, radar).
• Deep knowledge of electromagnetics is highly appreciated.
• Programming experience in MATLAB, Python, or similar environments.
• Previous experience in experimental research is an advantage.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as in multidisciplinary research teams.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4‑year period of employment, typically in two contracts: an initial 1.5‑year contract with a progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years, contingent on satisfactory performance.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, ranging from €3,059 to €3,881 gross per month, from the first to the fourth year based on a full‑time contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end‑of‑year bonus of 8.3%.

Applications must be submitted no later than 31 July 2026 via the application portal. Please upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter (max 1 page)
• Abstract of your MSc thesis
• Copies of two publications (if applicable)

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Alexander Yarovoy, Chairman of MS3 (a.yarovoy).