Tom Oomen

Eindhoven University of Technology, a leading research institution in the Netherlands, is offering six PhD positions focused on advancing design automation and diagnostics in the semiconductor industry. The university is renowned for its collaborative culture and strong ties to high-tech industries, particularly in the Brainport region. These positions span the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mathematics and Computer Science, and are aimed at solving complex, multidisciplinary challenges in system-level modelling, analysis, design, and synthesis for semiconductor equipment, especially lithography machines. The research topics include automated computational design synthesis of system topologies, scenario-based system-level performance engineering, timing-aware distributed supervisory controller synthesis, AI-driven legacy system explanation and refactoring, data mining for diagnostics using knowledge graphs and foundation models, and automating health monitoring in semiconductor equipment. Each project is supervised by leading academics and involves collaboration with industry partners such as ASML AI Research. Candidates will work in a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment, receive comprehensive training, and benefit from excellent employment conditions including a four-year contract, competitive salary, bonuses, pension, paid leave, and support for international staff. Applicants must have a master’s degree in a relevant field and demonstrate strong analytical, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Specific expertise in software engineering, programming, cyber-physical systems, formal methods, AI, data mining, control theory, and related areas is required for certain positions. Applications are accepted online until November 30, 2025, and should include a cover letter, CV, and references. The university provides a supportive infrastructure, professional development opportunities, and a dynamic campus environment. For more information, candidates are encouraged to contact the listed supervisors or HR services.

Eindhoven University of Technology is offering six PhD positions focused on advancing design automation, diagnostics, and AI applications for complex semiconductor systems, particularly lithography machines. These positions span the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mathematics and Computer Science, and are designed to address the limitations of current domain-specific automation solutions by developing holistic, system-level approaches. The research topics include automated computational design synthesis of system topologies, scenario-based compositional system-level performance engineering, timing-aware distributed supervisory controller synthesis, AI-driven legacy system explanation and refactoring, data mining for diagnostics using knowledge graphs and foundation models, and automating health monitoring in semiconductor equipment. Each project is supervised by leading academics and, in some cases, involves collaboration with industrial partners such as ASML AI Research. Candidates will work on cutting-edge challenges such as system architecture exploration, model-based performance engineering, supervisory control synthesis, generative AI for software maintenance, advanced diagnostic frameworks, and predictive monitoring technologies. Applicants should have strong backgrounds in relevant fields, with specific skills required for each position, such as software engineering, formal methods, control theory, and AI. The positions offer the opportunity to contribute to innovation in the Brainport region and beyond, working in interdisciplinary teams and with internationally recognized industrial partners. Funding details are not specified in the announcement. Interested candidates should apply online via the AcademicTransfer link, submitting their CV, motivation letter, and transcripts, and indicating their preferred PhD project(s).

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join the Dynamics and Control section for research on diagnostics of interconnected complex dynamical systems. This position is part of the 'Holistic Design Automation for Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment' project, involving collaboration with the semiconductor company ASML and multiple departments at TU/e, including Electrical Engineering and Mathematics and Computer Science. The research focuses on developing innovative monitoring algorithms for complex dynamical systems, particularly semiconductor equipment, to automate fault isolation and provide diagnostics performance guarantees. Key topics include interconnected dynamical systems, (distributed) observer design, data-driven approaches, machine learning methods, and fault detection and isolation. The project aims to address the challenges of monitoring and diagnosing faults in systems with many interconnected modules, where traditional approaches either fail to account for module interactions or make fault isolation difficult. As a PhD candidate, you will design hierarchical diagnostic tools, collaborate with both academic and industrial partners, and have access to graduate courses at the Dutch Institute of Systems and Control (DISC). You will be part of a vibrant research community of over 60 researchers, including faculty, postdocs, and PhD students, working on advanced control, estimation, planning, learning, and diagnostics strategies for intelligent autonomous systems. The position is supervised by Dr. Michelle Chong, Prof.dr.ir. Nathan van de Wouw, and Prof.dr.ir. Tom Oomen. Applicants should have a master's degree in systems and control, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or applied mathematics, with a strong background in mathematical control theory. Experience or interest in hybrid dynamical systems, observer design, learning techniques, and optimization is expected, along with proficiency in Matlab or Python. Fluency in English and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively are required. The position offers a four-year full-time contract with a competitive salary (€3,059 - €3,881 per month), year-end bonus, vacation pay, pension scheme, paid leave, training programs, technical infrastructure, childcare, sports facilities, commuting and home working allowances, and a tax compensation scheme for international candidates. The application deadline is 21st February 2026. Applications must be submitted online with all required documents, including CV, publication list, references, statement of interest, diplomas, transcripts, and a brief description of your MSc thesis or relevant projects. For more information, contact Dr. Michelle S. Chong ([email protected]), Prof.dr.ir. Nathan van de Wouw ([email protected]), or Prof.dr.ir. Tom Oomen ([email protected]). For application details, visit the official job posting or the TU/e career page.