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

Utwentecareers; Netherlands; Remote; EUR 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Twente's Pervasive Systems group seeks a colleague to build sensing systems across devices, edge processing, and analytics, balancing research and education to shape how the next generation of engineers learns to build pervasive, sensing-driven systems.

The role combines independent research with teaching in BSc/MSc programs (CreaTe, Technical Computer Science, EMSYS, CS), supervision of PhD/EngD/MSc students, and active participation in collaborations and group activities.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong scientific track record in sensing systems and/or sensor-data analytics, with publications in relevant venues.
• 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.
• Evidence of, or clear potential for, acquiring research funding and supervising students, and readiness to develop an independent line within the group.
• Enjoy teaching and coordinating at both bachelor and master level; willingness to obtain UTQ/BKO within three years.
• Fluency in English with good communication; willingness to learn Dutch if not already spoken.

Responsibilities

• Research with impact: develop your own research line in sensing systems and/or sensor-data analytics, including edge and on-device data processing and analytics.
• Acquisition & supervision: grow toward acquiring research funding, supervising PhD, EngD and MSc students, and contributing to the group.
• Inspiring education: teach and coordinate in BSc programmes (CreaTe and TCS) and MSc programmes (EMSYS, CS), develop course material, supervise theses.
• Collaboration & academic citizenship: work in a multidisciplinary environment and participate in group flagships and academic life.

Skills

Sensing systems

Sensor-data analytics

Embedded systems

Edge computing

On-device machine learning

Networking

Distributed systems

Data pipelines

Academic collaboration

Education

PhD in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

UTQ/BKO or willingness to obtain within three 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.

Your profile

• 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.

Our offer

• 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.

Information and application

• A curriculum vitae (including qualifications and a list of publications);
• A cover letter (max 1 page) describing your motivation and how you would see your research and teaching developing within the group;
• A short research and teaching vision (max 2 pages), in your own words, outlining the line you would build and what you would want to teach. We value authentic, concise statements over polished length;
• Reference letters (minimum 2, one from your PhD supervisor).

The selection process comprises an initial short interview round followed by a second-round assessment, which includes a research presentation and meetings with the group. The initial interviews are scheduled to be conducted online on November 10 and 11.

Incomplete applications that lack any of the listed requirements will be automatically rejected. We also ask for minimal AI use in document preparation.

For questions, you are welcome to contact Özlem Durmaz-Incel (Chair of Pervasive Systems) via [e-mail].

Screening is part of the selection process.

About the 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).

About the organisation

The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of atech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.

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.