PhD in AI Datacenter Photonics (Fully Funded)

Tyndall National Institute; Cork; Hybrid; EUR 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full PhD funding

Tax-free stipend

Conference travel

Training & development

Park & Ride

Tuition fees covered

Job summary

Tyndall National Institute, hosted at University College Cork, is offering a fully funded PhD position in the NET theme with Rinn Semiconductors, focusing on passive photonic integrated circuits and control architectures for multi‑wavelength optical I/O in co‑packaged and disaggregated systems.

The student will gain hands‑on experience in PIC design, foundry tape‑outs, optical link modelling, automated characterisation and photonic‑system integration.

Qualifications

• A degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Physics, Photonics or a closely related discipline.
• Strong interest in optical communications and photonics.
• Strong analytical and programming skills using Python, MATLAB or equivalent.
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Develop system-level models linking passive PIC performance to optical bandwidth, latency, insertion loss, power consumption and thermal constraints.
• Design foundry-compatible passive PIC architectures for short-reach optical I/O in co-packaged and disaggregated systems.
• Design and optimise wavelength-routing, WDM, fibre-coupling, monitoring, calibration and test structures.
• Investigate scalable control, calibration and monitoring architectures for large populations of wavelength-sensitive photonic elements.
• Experimentally characterise prototype photonic devices using high-speed measurement equipment and thermal-control platforms.
• Translate device-and-circuit-level results into system-level design guidelines for heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging.
• Develop tape-out-ready passive PIC host platforms for subsequent integration of modulators, detectors, lasers and electronic control circuits.
• Disseminate research through peer-reviewed journal publications, international conferences, project demonstrations and technical reports.
• Complete the required PhD coursework, participate in research group and project meetings, and contribute to education, outreach and cohort activities.
• Ensure compliance with Tyndall’s Quality Management Systems, Health and Safety standards, and other relevant regulations.
• Participate and support in Education and Public Engagement activities, as required.

Skills

Python

MATLAB

Data analysis

English communication

Education

Engineering/Physics/Photonic degree (2:1+)

Job description

Tyndall National Institute, hosted at University College Cork, is offering a fully funded PhD position in the NET theme with Rinn Semiconductors, focusing on passive photonic integrated circuits and control architectures for multi‑wavelength optical I/O in co‑packaged and disaggregated systems.

The student will gain hands‑on experience in PIC design, foundry tape‑outs, optical link modelling, automated characterisation and photonic‑system integration.