An overview of all Phd topics Science, Engineering and Technology
Circuits and technologies for embedded securityPromotor: Ingrid VerbauwhedeDescription: Digital circuit designers need to take the effects of deep-submicron technologies such as process variations and leakage currents, into account. This is also the case for security designs. Every small embedded device, including sensor nodes or RFID tags, smartcards, and so on, need some form of security and privacy. Unfortunately the integrated circuit is very often the weak link. There is a large need on new circuit techniques to support strong security on integrated circuits: secure memories, secure generation of unique keys and identification tags, etc. There are two main goals. One is to realize efficient, low power, high performance implementations of new security algorithms and protocols. The second is to make also the implementations secure. The research will take place in the COSIC (Computer Security and Industrial cryptography) research group of the Electrical Engineering department at the KU Leuven, under the supervision of Prof. Ingrid Verbauwhede. To get an idea of past and current projects please visit the websites: www.esat.kuleuven.be/cosic Key words: digital circuits design, technology, security, cryptography Latest Application date: 2013-06-01 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Duration of the Project : 4 years Link: http://esat.kuleuven.be/cosic Research group: Remarks: The candidate should have a strong background in circuit design, digital design and is interested in learning about security applications. Knowledge on cryptography and security is a plus. Team spirit and good knowledge of English are required. COSIC is a very international research group with researchers from almost 20 different countries. The start date of the project is flexible. Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Advanced Symmetric CryptanalysisPromotor: Bart PreneelDescription: Symmetric cryptography is used to protect large amounts of digital data. Block ciphers, stream ciphers, message authentication codes, hash functions are types of algorithms which fall in the class of symmetric cryptography. Well-known standards include the AES, the 3GPP algorithm suite, the SHA-3 candidates. The security of these algorithms is usually measured by determining their resistance against several methods of cryptanalysis: differential cryptanalysis, linear cryptanalysis, etc. We are continuously looking for students who want to learn about symmetric cryptanalysis and to apply the methods to modern cryptographic algorithms. Besides the standard cryptanalysis methods, the students will also work with recently developed advanced variants like rebound attacks, zero-correlation linear cryptanalysis etc. A background in cryptography or computer security is not required. The applicant should be familiar with linear algebra, coding theory, Boolean functions, programming in C, C++ or Java, and be willing to learn more mathematics as needed. Key words: symmetric cryptography, cryptanalysis, hash functions, block ciphers, stream ciphers Latest Application date: 2016-04-09 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Duration of the Project : 4 years Link: http://www.esat.kuleuven.be/scd/research.php?view=SK Research group: Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Design patterns for large-scale multi-agent systems (Brazil - Science Without Borders)Promotor: Tom HolvoetDescription: Design patterns for large-scale multi-agent systems This scholarship is part of the program: "Brazil - Science Without Borders" - please check eligibility before applying! Multi-agent systems are systems that are composed of multiple autonomous entities that cooperate in order to achieve common objectives. Research and developments in this domain focus on the individual behaviour of agents and on cooperation mechanisms. From a software engineering point of view, multi-agent systems provide a wide spectrum of architectural tactics. Today, however, engineering complex distributed applications using these tactics is hard and mostly follows an ad hoc approach. The objective of this PhD project is to define design patterns and a pattern language for multi-agent systems. Rather than aiming to cover all possible aspects of multi-agent systems, the pattern language will focus on multi-agent systems research that is devoted to coordination of large-scale systems. The coordination mechanism called 'delegate MAS', as developed within our research team, will serve as the starting point for this research. A formal underpinning of the pattern language will allow unambiguous specification and will foster reuse in various applications. The pattern language will start from existing work and experience of the DistriNet research group on coordination and delegate MAS, as well as on new applications under study. A prototypical example of a large-scale coordination application is the well-known pickup-and-delivery problem. Studied mainly as an optimisation problem, the nature of PDP problems today are such that on-line decentrlized control application disserves attention: the problems are often huge in scale, and are subject diverse sources of dynamism and uncertainty. This PhD project fits in the expertise and strategic objectives of the MAS-related research of DistriNet, with a focus on a software architectural of MAS. DistriNet is involved in several projects where the integration of multi-agent systems and software engineering plays a crucial role. Key words: patterns, multi-agent systems, optimization, distributed software Latest Application date: 2013-05-31 Financing: Brazil - Science Without Borders Type of Position: scholarship Duration of the Project : 4 years Research group: Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Collaborative distributed computing (Brazil - Science Without Borders)Promotor: Tom HolvoetDescription: Collaborative distributed computing This scholarship is part of the program: "Brazil - Science Without Borders" - please check eligibility before applying! Many problems that are traditionally studied as combinatorial optimization problems are more and more being investigated as distributed coordination problems – examples are the vehicle routing problem (VRP) and the pickup-and-delivery problem (PDP). Real-world instances of these problems (esp. in the area of logistics, such as inland shipping and multi-modal transport) are under increasing performance pressure. Operations are submitted to more demanding circumstances such as extremely large scales (large numbers of transportation vehicles, tasks pickup/dropoff points) and dynamic problem updates (unpredictable service time). Combinatorial optimization techniques are limited due to computational complexity. Collaborative distributed approaches aim to cope with this complexity by combining advanced coordination mechanisms with specialized local decision making strategies. This project aims for a scientific study and evaluation of an approach called 'delegate MAS'. Delegate MAS is a biologically-inspired coordination mechanism: the coordination of autonomous entities (e.g. vehicles, road infrastructure elements) occurs through ant-like, light weight agents that crawl the environment on behalf of their autonomous entity, and retrieve and disseminate information. Initial experiments show the usefulness of the approach in manufacturing control and traffic control, yet a critical scientific evaluation and consequent revision of delegate MAS is the next core challenge in this research topic. The evaluation as well as the revision will include the study and possibly the adoption of existing combinatorial optimisation techniques. The research will be guided by a focus on the case of large-scale and distributed PDPs. References: - Tom Holvoet, Paul Valckenaers, Beliefs, desires and intentions through the environment, Proceedings of the fifth international joint conference on Autonomous agents and multiagent systems, pages 1052-1054, Hakodate, Japan, May 8-12, 2006 - Danny Weyns, Tom Holvoet, Alexander Helleboogh, Anticipatory vehicle routing using delegate multi-agent systems, Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference, 2007. ITSC 2007. IEEE, pages 87-93, Seattle, USA, Sept. 30 2007-Oct. 3 2007 - Tom Holvoet, Danny Weyns, Paul Valckenaers, Patterns of Delegate MAS, Proceedings of the third international conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems, 2009. SASO 2009. IEEE, to be published, San Francisco, USA, Sept. 14-18 2009 Key words: patterns, multi-agent systems, optimization, distributed software Latest Application date: 2013-05-31 Financing: Brazil - Science Without Borders Type of Position: scholarship Duration of the Project : 4 years Research group: Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Marie Curie ESR position in the eLiQuiD project - Design of multi-material joints/structuresPromotor: Wim Desmet, Bert PluymersDescription: ESR4 will combine aspects of all three fields in the design of multi-material joints and structures. The overall goal of the newly designed components is to enhance the NVH behaviour of Electric Vehicles, without compromising the lightweight design requirements. As such, as well active and semi-active as fully passive multi-material systems will be adopted in the creation of optimal absorption and isolation. In this study, ESR4 will focus on mounts, joints and panel components. Key words: active control, active systems, multi-material, lightweight, electric vehicle Latest Application date: 2013-09-30 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Source of Funding: Marie Curie EID Duration of the Project : 3 years Research group: Remarks: 1.5 years in Leuven and 1.5 years in Graz Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Marie Curie ESR position in the eLiQuiD project - Flexible Multibody/Mechatronic simulation for Electric Vehicle SystemsPromotor: Wim Desmet, Bert PluymersDescription: ESR3 will work on the optimisation of mechatronic models of Electric Vehicle systems. The coupled simulation of structural mechanical systems, such as gear-trains and electrical systems, such as motors and controllers, will be analysed. In order to properly represent the dynamical behaviour of the structural components, flexible multibody simulation will be used. An optimisation framework will be developed for coupled optimisation of structural and electrical components with respect to vibrations, weight and efficiency. The aim is to obtain a methodology to virtually design mechanical-electrical vehicle systems in an optimised way. Key words: multibody, mechatronic, electric vehicle Latest Application date: 2013-09-30 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Source of Funding: Marie Curie EID Duration of the Project : 3 years Research group: Remarks: 1.5 years in Leuven and 1.5 years in Graz Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Marie Curie ESR position in EMVeM - Development of an integrated modelling approach for mechatronic system energy flow analysisPromotor: Wim Desmet, Bert PluymersDescription: The objective of the work is the development of an integrated modelling approach to analyse energy flow through mechatronic systems. As energy is a multi-physical attribute and is present under various forms (electrical, mechanical, thermal, ...) and as all of these forms are present in a mechatronic system, a holistic modelling approach is needed to capture all the interactions between the various forms of energy. After the definition of a general modelling methodology, the approach will be validated with measurements on an industrial machine application. Key words: numerical modelling, mechatronic modelling, 1D, holistic model, dynamic analysis, energy efficiency Latest Application date: 2013-09-01 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Source of Funding: Marie Curie ITN ESR position Duration of the Project : 3 years Research group: Remarks: Eligibility according to EU Marie Curie rules for Early Stage Researchers Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Marie Curie ESR position in EMVeM - Development of a vehicle mechatronics modelling approachPromotor: Wim Desmet, Bert PluymersDescription: The objective of the work is the development of a vehicle mechatronics modelling approach to analyse modern vehicles. Modern vehicles include various active and electronic systems such as ADAS systems to increase functionality, comfort, safety, energy efficiency,etc. A holistic modelling approach is needed to capture all the interactions between the various systems and the mechanical behaviour of the vehicle. After the definition of a general modelling methodology, the approach will be validated with measurements on a real vehicle. Key words: vehicle mechatronics, numerical modelling, mechatronic modelling, 1D, holistic model, dynamic analysis, energy efficienc Latest Application date: 2013-09-01 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Source of Funding: Marie Curie ITN ESR position Duration of the Project : 3 years Research group: Remarks: Eligibility according to EU Marie Curie rules for Early Stage Researchers Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Sublethal injury and resuscitation in foodborne pathogensPromotor: Abram AertsenDescription: Within the Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems of the KU Leuven, the Laboratory of Food Microbiology is looking for a motivated pre-doctoral researcher to reinforce our ongoing research on the ecology and physiology of foodborne pathogens under stress. Foodborne pathogens are constantly faced with a variety of different stresses and selection pressures that can affect their physiology and modify their behavior. Even after severe inimical conditions or treatments, a small number of cells within the population will rather incur sublethal injuries and remain able to mount a repair process. In addition to actual survival and outgrowth, this resuscitation process might also enable cells to become more virulent and/or resistant to subsequent challenges. Strategic insights into the resuscitative state of foodborne pathogens, however, remain scarce and constitute the aim of this research project. Key words: Latest Application date: 2013-06-30 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Duration of the Project : 4 years Research group: Remarks: The applicant should hold a degree that formally qualifies him/her to enter the PhD program of the Leuven Arenberg Doctoral School (http://set.kuleuven.be/phd/). In addition to an outspoken interest in microbiology, molecular biology and genetics, advanced command of both spoken and written English is mandatory. Applicants should submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae together with a concise letter of motivation. Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Research into housing, real estate, urban development, financial geography (to be discussed)Promotor: Manuel AalbersDescription: The candidate is expected to develop a Ph.D. research project connected to Prof. Aalbers' The Real Estate/Financial Complex research project. Real estate and finance were at the roots of the global economic crisis that started in 2007. States and their many institutions have also been seen as complicit to the crisis. The connections between real estate (both residential and non-residential), finance and states still remain under-researched and under-theorized. Work in various political economy traditions has done a great deal of research into the connection between finance and states, but they have often ignored a crucial sector: real estate. There is also a tradition of work focusing on the interaction between real estate and states, usually concentrating on the involvement of municipalities in real estate projects. Finance is often ignored in this tradition. Moreover, this tradition has its roots in urban studies and is very micro focused, while the various political economy traditions are very macro focused. In other words, we not only need a stronger connection between finance and real estate, we also need a stronger connection between different scales: local/urban, national and global. We here propose a new metaphor that can help us to centre attention on the connection between real estate, finance and states: the real estate/financial complex, akin the military/industrial complex. Both complexes should be seen as triangles since states are also part of the equation. Several PhD students will focus on one or two countries each, each complementing national mappings of the complex with two local/urban case studies. Key words: Real estate, housing, gentrification, urban development, political economy, financial markets Latest Application date: 2013-05-31 Financing: available Type of Position: salary Source of Funding: Departmental budget (FLOF) Duration of the Project : 2x2 years Link: http://aow.kuleuven.be Research group: Remarks: MA in Geography or a(nother) social science. Familiarity with before-mentioned topics and key words is an advantage. Applicants should be highly motivated and goal-oriented. They should have the ability to work independently as well as in a team. The candidates should be at home with qualitative research methods, in particular in-depth interviews. The candidate will also be involved in teaching activities in the Bachelor and Master of Geography. Therefore, fluency in Dutch and English is required. In their cover letter, interested candidates should explicitly state their language abilities, also regarding possible fieldwork locations. Please write your cover letter in English. Supporting documents may be in English or Dutch. Please do not include writing samples at this stage, but at the end of your cover letter you should list the titles of three (not more, not less) papers/theses that you would be able to provide in case you would be included in the shortlist for the position. Also indicate the status of each of these, e.g. term paper, submitted research paper, Master thesis. This list of three papers/theses should also be considered an indication of your interest in topics related to the research topic of this project. Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
The Real Estate/Financial Complex: The cases of Mainland China and Hong KongPromotor: Manuel AalbersDescription: Real estate and finance were at the roots of the global economic crisis that started in 2007. States and their many institutions have also been seen as complicit to the crisis. The connections between real estate (both residential and non-residential), finance and states still remain under-researched and under-theorized. Work in various political economy traditions has done a great deal of research into the connection between finance and states, but they have often ignored a crucial sector: real estate. There is also a tradition of work focusing on the interaction between real estate and states, usually concentrating on the involvement of municipalities in real estate projects. Finance is often ignored in this tradition. Moreover, this tradition has its roots in urban studies and is very micro focused, while the various political economy traditions are very macro focused. In other words, we not only need a stronger connection between finance and real estate, we also need a stronger connection between different scales: local/urban, national and global. We here propose a new metaphor that can help us to centre attention on the connection between real estate, finance and states: the real estate/financial complex, akin the military/industrial complex. Both complexes should be seen as triangles since states are also part of the equation. Four PhD students will work on different countries. the first three positions have been filled and we still have one opening for a PhD student working on both Mainland China and Hong Kong, focusing on the national mappings of the real estate/financial complex as well as on local cases studies in Hong Kong and a city in Mainland China (to be decided). These sub-projects take a central focus on the importance of politics, geography and history, and present extensive and in-depth studies of the organization and development of the real estate/financial complex in different countries and cities. The PhD student is expected to do literature reviews, document analysis and semi-structured in-depth interviews with key figures in real estate, finance and state, including lobby groups, think tanks and research institutes. Key words: real estate, housing, financialization, urban studies, political economy, economic geography Latest Application date: 2013-07-01 Financing: available Type of Position: salary Source of Funding: European Research Council Duration of the Project : 2x2 years Link: http://aow.kuleuven.be Research group: Remarks: Interested candidates holding a Master degree in any social science are invited to apply, although knowledge of urban studies and political economy/economic geography are highly recommended. Familiarity with most of the following concepts is crucial: financialization, gentrification, megaprojects, capital switching, growth coalitions/machines, residential capitalism, de-linking real estate and place, subprime cities, lobbying, and the privizatization of social housing. Applicants should be highly motivated and goal-oriented. They should have the ability to work independently as well as in a team, at KU Leuven as well as in two different research countries. The candidates should be at home with qualitative research methods, in particular in-depth interviews. In their cover letter, interested candidates should explicitly state their language abilities, research experience in different countries and international residential history. The candidate is expected to read Chines and speak either Cantonese and/or Mandarine. In addition, interested candidates should be fluent in English as the research team will primarily communicate in English and papers and a doctoral thesis need to be written in English as well. Please do not include writing samples at this stage, but at the end of your cover letter you should list the titles of three (not more, not less) papers/theses that you would be able to provide in case you would be included in the shortlist for the position. Also indicate the status of each of these, e.g. term paper, submitted research paper, Master thesis. This list of three papers/theses should also be considered an indication of your interest in topics related to the research topic of this project. The selected PhD candidate is expected to start working at the University of Leuven between May 1 and October 1, 2013. Candidates with an MA degree or who are finishing an MA degree this summer are encouraged to apply. Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
Fundamental investigation of novel high-mobility semiconductor/high-k gate dielectric stacksPromotor: Michel Houssa (Promotor) Jean-Pierre Locquet (Co-promotor)Description: In order to increase the performances and functionalities of nanoelectronic devices, the integration of novel semiconductor/insulator gate stacks is required. Gate stacks of current interest are based on heterojunctions formed by high-mobility III-V semiconductors (GaAs, InGaAs, InP,...) and high dielectric constant insulators, like Al2O3, HfO2, MgO,... The purpose of this PhD thesis is to use state-of-the-art first-principles simulations, based on density functional theory, to compute the structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of such heterojunctions. The electronic signature of specific defects likely present at these interfaces will also be investigated. This modelling activity will be complemented by the experimental characterization of the electrical properties (including current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics) of various III-V/high-k gate dielectric stacks. The combined theoretical and experimental study of these heterojunctions will allow one to gain fundamental insights into their electronic properties. This work will be financially supported by the GOA project “Fundamental Challenges in Semiconductor Research”. This project involves collaborations between the Department of Physics and the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering of KULeuven. For more informations, please contact Prof. Michel Houssa (michel.houssa@fys.kuleuven.be) or Prof. Jean-Pierre Locquet (jeanpierre.locquet@fys.kuleuven.be). Key words: Novel semiconductor heterostructures, DFT calculations, Electrical characterization Latest Application date: 2013-06-30 Financing: available Type of Position: scholarship Source of Funding: GOA/13/011 project Duration of the Project : 4 years Research group: Apply to Click here to apply to this project |
