This PhD position at KU Leuven, in collaboration with imec, offers an exciting opportunity to advance the field of wireless communications through research on distributed movable antennas. Hosted primarily at imec in Leuven, Belgium, and supervised by Prof. Sofie Pollin (KU Leuven) and Prof. Claude Desset (IMEC), the project is embedded within the WaveCoRE research centre in the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) at KU Leuven. The Networked Systems group, led by Prof. Pollin, specializes in cutting-edge topics such as Cell-Free Massive MIMO, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), IoT, joint communication and sensing, machine learning-based signal processing, and SWIPT.

The research will focus on pushing the boundaries of MIMO communications by exploring near-field, mobile, and massive communication scenarios. You will investigate the limitations of far-field MIMO channels and leverage near-field communication to unlock higher throughput and channel diversity. The project involves modeling propagation, system dimensioning, and designing optimized transmit/receive algorithms to exploit channel richness. Unlike traditional antenna arrays, you will explore sparse arrays and movable antennas, addressing challenges in channel estimation and link adaptation while capitalizing on new degrees of freedom for improved link performance.

Applications of distributed MIMO will be studied in contexts such as robotics, drones, and vehicles, where mobility presents both challenges and opportunities. You will develop heuristics for real-time device communication and investigate trade-offs between performance, power consumption, and robustness, considering technologies like MEMS for movable antennas. The research requires creativity and the ability to navigate complex trade-offs involving massive antenna arrays, computational feasibility, theoretical limits, and hardware constraints.

As part of the imec team, you will collaborate with experts in digital, analog, and mm-wave design, wireless systems, signal processing, channel modeling, and machine learning. You will develop a sophisticated simulation environment in Matlab or Python, incorporating custom near-field mobile channel models and hardware non-idealities. The position offers a multidisciplinary environment, access to world-class facilities, and opportunities to publish in top journals and conferences.

Eligibility requires a master's degree in electrical engineering, telecommunication engineering, or a related field, with exceptional grades and English proficiency. Experience in wireless communications, signal processing, channel modeling, and MIMO is advantageous. Proficiency in Matlab or Python and strong interpersonal skills are essential. The scholarship covers up to four years, subject to positive evaluations, and includes a competitive salary, research funding, and opportunities for international collaboration.

KU Leuven is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. Applications must be submitted via the imec website, referencing code 2026-031. For further information, contact Prof. Sofie Pollin or Prof. Claude Desset via email.