Postdoctoral Researcher​/Research Engineer

Research challenge

The Research Challenge: AI training costs are exploding, largely due to energy and bandwidth inefficiencies in current electrical datacenters.

Our group is developing a novel Optical Circuit Switched (OCS) architecture that drastically reduces power and latency.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher
/
Research Engineer with a background in Embedded Systems and Low-Level Programming to design the control logic that powers this new hybrid network.

Your code will directly enable the next generation of energy-efficient AI clusters.

• You will bridge the gap between custom optical hardware and standard AI software stacks.
• Unlike typical high-level networking roles, this project requires "bare-metal" intervention, programming the firmware and drivers that decide how and when data moves.

You will lead the implementation of the system's data plane, applying embedded design principles to high-performance networking:

• SmartNIC & FPGA Programming:
  Implement real-time flow steering logic on devices like NVIDIA Blue Field, AMD Pensando or similar.
• Driver Development:
  Develop and optimize Linux kernel modules and userspace drivers (DPDK) to manage flows.
• Hardware/Software Co-Design:
  Collaborate with optical physicists to translate physical layer constraints into efficient C/C++ control firmware.
• Evaluation:
  Benchmark the system against standard IP fabrics and publish results in top-tier conferences (SIGCOMM, NSDI, OSDI).

We are looking for a candidate who is comfortable "looking under the hood" of the operating system. You do not need prior experience with optics.

• PhD/Masters in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Linux Systems Programming.
• Experience with Embedded Linux and Kernel drivers.

• Familiarity with Network Interface Cards (NICs) or packet processing (eBPF, XDP).
• Experience bringing up custom hardware boards.

• A stimulating and international working environment
• Competitive salary and excellent working conditions – more information can be found on our website.
• Opportunity to perform state-of-the-art research in one of the most dynamic scientific institutions in Europe.
• Opportunity to interact with internationally renowned experts, and with a strong team of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students.

Contract Start Date : 1st March 2026

Activity Rate: 100%

Contract Type: CDD

Duration: 9 months, extendable