PhD scholarship in Computing Parallelism Enabled by Photonic Integrated Circuits - DTU Electro

Technical University Of Denmark; Shire Of Denmark; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technical university is seeking a PhD student to explore neuromorphic computing through a collaborative EU-funded project. The successful candidate will participate in research in photonics and computing architecture, with opportunities for international experience. A two-year master's degree is required. The position offers a salary of DKK 29,691.75 plus benefits.

Benefits

International research collaboration

Salary and pension benefits

Academic freedom and support

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent required.
• Experience with photonic computing preferred.
• Ability to travel for secondments across Europe.

Responsibilities

• Participate in an international Doctoral Network project.
• Conduct research on photonic multiplexing for computing.
• Engage in outreach and dissemination activities.

Skills

Investigate photonic multiplexing

Algorithmic parallelism

Nonlinear equalisation

Education

Master’s degree (120 ECTS points)

Job description

Organisation/Company Technical University Of Denmark Department DTU Electro Research Field Engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Denmark Application Deadline 15 Mar 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Copenhagen) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37 Offer Starting Date 1 Aug 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The PhD student will participate in an international team in an EU-funded Doctoral Network project called MINDnet. The project consists of 15 Ph.D. students at 7 universities, one research center and two companies. The project has partners from eight different EU countries. All 15 Ph.d. projects are within the overall theme of neuromorphic computing and analog signal processing, targeting applications in the fields of communication, sensing, geolocalization, space and biomedical.

This Ph.D. project will take place at DTU Electro. Apart from the time at DTU there will be secondments of minimum 3 months at University of Pisa (IT), Fraunhofer Heinrik Hertz Institute (DE) and Spincloud (DE). There will also be regular meetings with the other 14 Ph.D. students in the doctoral network, including 4 training schools and two workshops.

As a participant of the project, the PhD student will become part of a team at DTU with numerical and experimental expertise in photonic computing. The activities within the project will benefit from synergies with other projects in the group as well as with other activities at the department. The main supervisor will be Assoc. Prof. Francesco Da Ros, DTU Electro.

Responsibilities and qualifications

The exponential surge in artificial intelligence (AI), internet traffic, and online services demands a revolutionary leap in devices, computing architecture, and integration technologies. In MINDnet we will investigate neuromorphic computing as a promising solution to support such a demand by getting inspired by the brain’s powerful and energy‑efficient processing capabilities. MINDnet aims at addressing the challenge through a holistic optimisation – from individual computing devices to the overall architecture, including a focus on applications, and training methods – across multiple technological platforms – photonics, electronics, biological neurons. Photonics is a promising platform as it provides several degrees of freedom for data encoding and processing, time, frequency, space, modal content, etc. However a systematic analysis of the potential and trade‑offs of applying photonic parallelism to computing is still lacking.

This PhD project aims to get an in-depth understanding of the benefits and limitations of photonic multiplexing for computing.

The project will consist among others of the following tasks:

• Investigate photonic multiplexing for enhancing computing efficiency through parallelism (time-, frequency-, and mode‑multiplexing), with a specific focus on photonic reservoir computing
• Relate parallelism to applications, e.g., algorithmic parallelism, multi-tasking, etc.
• Address nonlinear equalisation in optical signal transmission and provide a comparison with neuromorphic electronics

The doctoral candidate (DC) is expected to travel to network partners under three secondments for a typical total duration of 2-3 months. Additionally, the DC is expected to participate in outreach activities including, but not limited to, YouTube videos, social media updates, participation in public events and campaigns, as well as dissemination to popular press. Furthermore, due to the mobility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme, the applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.

You must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognised for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterised by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

The salary is based on seniority with the minimum wage which is DKK 29 691,75 for the base salary and 1 551,00 for the PhD supplement. Additionally, pension paid by DTU will be added.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Assoc. Prof. Francesco Da Ros ([e-mail]).

You can read more about DTU Electro at www.electro.dtu.dk/english.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhDrelocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 15 March 2026 (23:59 Danish time).

Apply online here: PhD scholarship in Computing Parallelism Enabled by Photonic Integrated Circuits.

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link “Apply now”, fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to obtaining your master’s degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

The recruitment is taking place following the European Code of Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers, which all candidates are encouraged to study.