Assistant Professor in Pervasive Systems (Sensing Systems & Data Analytics)

University of Twente; Enschede; On-site; EUR 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Twente seeks a colleague to build sensing systems from devices to edge processing, bridging research and education. The role balances research leadership and teaching within the Pervasive Systems group, based at Enschede campus.

You will develop your own research line in sensing systems, supervise PhD and MSc theses, and teach in BSc and MSc programs, contributing to group flagship projects and collaborations. English fluency and a willingness to learn Dutch are expected.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS, EE or related field.
• Strong track record in sensing systems and/or sensor-data analytics with publications.
• Experience with real sensing systems and data, not just simulations.
• Evidence of ability to acquire research funding and supervise students.
• Enjoy teaching and coordinating at bachelor and master level.
• University Teaching Qualification or willing to obtain within 3 years.
• Fluent in English; willingness to learn Dutch.

Responsibilities

• Research with impact: develop own research line in sensing systems and/or sensor-data analytics.
• Acquisition & supervision: acquire funding, supervise PhD/EngD/MSc students.
• Inspiring education: teach and coordinate in BSc and MSc programs, develop course material, supervise theses.
• Collaboration & academic citizenship: work in a multidisciplinary environment, contribute to group programs and life.

Skills

Sensing systems

Sensor-data analytics

Edge/embedded systems

On-device ML

Teaching experience

Education

PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field

UTQ/BKO or willingness to obtain within 3 years

Job description

Job description

We seek a colleague who builds sensing systems, from sensing and embedded devices, through the movement and processing of data, to intelligence at the edge, and who is equally motivated to bring that expertise into the classroom. This is a balanced research and education position for someone who wants both to grow their own research line and to shape how the next generation of (research) engineers learns to build pervasive, sensing-driven systems. The balance is approximately 50/50 between research and education, and the education share can be higher for a candidate with a stronger education focus.

What you will do

Research with impact

You will develop your own research line in sensing systems and/or the analysis and processing of sensor data, for example building and deploying sensing systems (wearable, ambient, RF, distributed), edge and on-device data processing and machine learning, resilient distributed architectures for sensing, sensor-data fusion and analytics, or the orchestration of sensing, computation and communication across the device–edge–cloud continuum. You will have the freedom to define your own accents while connecting to and strengthening the themes and vision of the Pervasive Systems group.

Acquisition & supervision

You will (grow toward) acquiring your own research funding, supervising PhD, EngD and MSc students, and contributing to the group’s scientific output and collaborations.

Inspiring education

You will take a full and valued role in our teaching. You will teach and coordinate in our BSc programmes, including Creative Technology (CreaTe) and Technical Computer Science (TCS), and in our MSc programmes (including EMSYS, CS), develop course material, and supervise thesis projects.

Collaboration & academic citizenship

You will work in a multidisciplinary, systems-oriented environment, contribute to group flagships such as our sensing benchmarks and pilot deployments across different application domains, and take part in the group’s academic and organisational life.

Requirements

• You hold a PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• You have a strong scientific track record in sensing systems and/or sensor-data analytics, with publications in relevant venues, for example SenSys, MobiSys, MobiCom, INFOCOM, IPSN, EWSN, PerCom, IMWUT/UbiComp and the corresponding IEEE/ACM journals.
• You have proven experience with real sensing systems and sensor data, systems that were built, deployed, and evaluated, and data that was processed and analysed, not only simulated. Relevant strengths span embedded and edge platforms, networking, distributed systems, data pipelines, and on-device machine learning.
• You show evidence of, or clear potential for, acquiring research funding and supervising students, and you are ready to develop an independent line within the group.
• You enjoy teaching and coordinating at both bachelor and master level and are motivated to communicate your field to students. Some teaching experience is welcome, and a genuine commitment to education is important for this position.
• You hold a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO) or are willing to obtain one within three years with our support.
• You are a team player who wants to connect and strengthen the group’s research lines rather than work beside them.
• You are fluent in English and have good communication and social skills. If you do not speak Dutch, a willingness to learn is an advantage.

Conditions of employment

• We offer a fulltime structural position, starting with a temporary appointment with the prospect of a permanent position after a positive evaluation
• A gross monthly salary depending on background and appointment level. The gross monthly salary on a full-time basis ranges from € 4.925,- to € 7.573,- per month (scale 11-12); The level of appointment is adapted to the candidate’s experience;
• A family-friendly institution offering paid and unpaid parental leave and free access to sports facilities on campus;
• A minimum of 29 leave days in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A fulltime employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis;
• A holiday allowance of 8%, a year-end bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• Excellent professional and personal development programmes, including full support toward the UTQ/BKO.

Department

You will be employed by the University of Twente, based at our Enschede campus, where the Pervasive Systems group, its labs, and testbeds are located. You will join the Pervasive Systems (PS) research group within the Department of Computer Science. PS envisions a sustainable world achieved through the seamless integration of computing and the physical environment. We are a systems group: we design collaborative, embedded sensing systems that interact unobtrusively with their surroundings, and we build scalable, adaptable, and trustworthy systems that perform reliably despite resource constraints, validated end-to-end in the physical world. Our vision moves sensing beyond isolated devices: we treat different sensing modalities from wearables, ambient devices, infrastructure, and the network itself as one programmable, resilient, context-aware system. You will work in a lively, inspiring, and international group where you have independence but are never alone, with access to our earable hardware lab, testbeds, an open-science and public-datasets culture, national research infrastructure, and project consortia (including Horizon Europe and NWO).