Job offer

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Une opportunité de doctorat à temps plein est offerte au sein de la Commission européenne, axée sur l'optimisation des antennes et les technologies électromagnétiques. Le candidat travaillera en collaboration avec des experts de Lab-STICC et Thales, intégrant des recherches innovantes au sein d'une équipe multidisciplinaire. Les candidats doivent avoir un diplôme de master en recherche ou en ingénierie, avec de solides compétences en électromagnétisme et en modélisation 3D.

Qualifications

• Compétences solides en électromagnétisme et outils numériques associés.
• Expérience avec HFSS et CST pour la simulation électromagnétique.
• Capacité à travailler en équipe et à prendre des initiatives.

Responsabilités

• Engager dans des recherches sur l'optimisation des antennes et technologies connexes.
• Développer des prototypes expérimentaux basés sur des concepts théoriques.
• Collaborer avec des équipes multidisciplinaires dans un environnement dynamique.

Connaissances

Électromagnétisme

Modélisation électromagnétique

Impression 3D

Anglais

Formation

Master en recherche ou diplôme d'ingénieur

Outils

HFSS

CST

Matlab

Python

Description du poste

Organisation/Company IMT Atlantique Department Doctoral division Research Field Technology » Communication technology Engineering » Communication engineering Engineering » Electronic engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country France Application Deadline 1 Sep 2025 - 23:00 (Europe/Paris) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Context & State of the Art:
The evolution of threats and the increasing speed of flying objects necessitate adapting to these new targets for identification, with the capability to track them across a wide field of view. To achieve this, active electronically scanned antennas must be more efficient and have the widest possible angular aperture.
Unfortunately, depending on the pointing angle of an electronically scanned antenna, and considering the radiation properties of its constituent intrinsic elements (radiation pattern varying with elevation angle), both the gain and the beamwidth tend to vary, making it difficult to maintain consistent performance at low elevation angles.

Scientific issues – Research Project positioning
Metasurface-based solutions provide undeniable flexibility in managing large angular deflections but still require optimization and further research into the composition of the metasurface.

• How can frequency dispersion of unit cells be managed (phase shift depends on unitcell length if the structure is non-resonant) using acceptably complex methods?
• How to counter beam impacts (dispersion, spreading, splitting) for large pointing angles? (Cross-optimization of planar array antenna / metasurface dome)
• How to prevent gain losses in azimuth due to the potentially non-optimal behaviour of the radome in those directions?
• What happens when a non-orthogonal wavefront interacts with the surface? (e.g. presence of jammers, oblique incidence).
  

Lab-STICC and Thales are collaborating on these research issues and have notably contributed to evaluating and utilizing RF 3D printing technologies in radar contexts, both for radomes and optimized primary source solutions.

As part of this PhD, the work will focus particularly on the joint optimization of the RF lens dome with the sub-assemblies of the multi-phase planar array, which should ideally be preserved to leverage mature amplitude/phase control technologies.
Lab-STICC is especially developing inverse multi-scale modeling methods that infer the electromagnetic properties of a given volume (multi-dielectric and/or with metallic inserts). These mixed simulation approaches will enable the optimization of the intermediate focusing component, such as the RF lens dome, from a target angular deflection zone and a set of amplitude/phase-controlled primary sources.

Research Methodology & Timeline
The research project will unfold in the following key phases:

Year 1: State of the Art – Scientific Positioning and Identification of New Concepts
· Literature review on angular broadening techniques or devices (dielectric dome or sub-wavelength RF lenses)
· Highlight the issue of directive degradation for large deflection angles
· Familiarization with tools & technologies
· Development of initial experimental prototypes
Year 2: Theoretical Phase – Modeling – Formalization of the Proposed Technical Solution
· Option 1: A planar multi-source array is considered
· Option 2: Potential use of distinct oriented multi-source sectors
Year 3: Advanced Prototypes
· Characterization of the antenna array in both transmission and reception, including the antenna array + dielectric dome assembly
· Impact analysis
· Reflection on the limitations of this approach in the context of an embedded monopulse radar

Supervision conditions of the thesis
The thesis will be supervised by a multidisciplinary team of academics and industrial professionals:
· Christian Person, Professor – Lab-STICC/IMT Atlantique, Thesis Director
· Clément Henry, Associate Professor – Lab-STICC/IMT Atlantique, Academic Cosupervisor
· Julien Deza, RF Systems Engineer – Thales LAS, Industrial Co-supervisor
· Thomas Merlet, Technical Manager for CIFRE Theses at THALES LAS Elancourt – Thales LAS, Industrial Co-supervisor
These partners have long-standing collaborative experience. Thales LAS and Lab-STICC work together within the joint laboratory LATERAL, tackling a variety of research topics (radar, communications, image processing, etc.). The candidate will work alongside several collaborators (PhD students, interns, postdocs, academic researchers, R&D engineers) in a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
Weekly videoconferences between Lab-STICC and Thales will ensure regular progress tracking. Quarterly meetings involving all joint lab members will allow the PhD work to be reviewed and steered in light of mutual scientific and application interests.

Where to apply

E-mail [e-mail]

Requirements

Research Field Technology » Communication technology Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Required Skills and Theoretical Knowledge: Electromagnetism and related numerical tools/methods, antennas – Electromagnetic modeling, 3D additive printing technologies
Technical Skills: Electromagnetic simulation tools: HFSS, CST, etc.
Engineering tools: Matlab, Python
Expected Profile: Holder of a research master's degree or an engineering degree in physics, electromagnetism, antennas, and high-frequency component design.
Proficiency in English is required, as well as a collaborative mindset and initiative in addressing technological challenges.

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Internal Application form(s) needed

Optimization of the angular aperture of planar electronically.pdf