Electronic design of sensor networks for health applications

In the Science, Engineering and Technology Group, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), Technology Cluster Electrical Engineering (ESAT), Campus Group T at KU Leuven there is a full-time academic vacancy (part of the senior academic staff) in the area of electronic design of sensor networks for health applications. We are looking for internationally orientated candidates with an excellent interdisciplinary research file and with educational competencies within the field of the design of embedded systems – both analog and digital circuits –, programmable logic and PCB design, strongly focussed on demand-driven research in close cooperation with health care institutes and health care companies.

 

ELECTRONIC DESIGN OF SENSOR NETWORKS FOR HEALTH APPLICATIONS

The e-Media Lab is active on Campus Group T in Leuven and relies on a strong collaboration with the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) and the Department of Computer Sciences. For this vacancy, a strong collaboration is foreseen with the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT).
The e-Media Lab investigates, develops and implements novel techniques to enhance the human condition with electronic media. The lab builds systems that contain sensors that capture input from a human user or information from the environment, algorithms that analyze these data, and actuators that generate output that is meaningful to the end-user. Central to the research questions is how humans will perceive this output, and how they respond to it. Often fully interactive systems are implemented that are fun and engaging, and at the same time serve a serious purpose, such as serious games. Applications are found in the domain of health care, learning and entertainment. The e-Media Lab brings together expertise from different domains such as electrical engineering, signal processing, data analysis, machine learning, computer sciences, software engineering, social sciences and user experience design. 

 

Duties

Research

Many novel health applications rely on sensor networks, e.g. body area networks that perform physiological measurements, EEG systems that contain sensor nodes with local processing capabilities, and microphone networks such as communicating hearing aids that allow for acoustic analysis and signal processing.  These systems operate in challenging scenarios, e.g. with large bandwidths and highly time-varying signal characteristics. A network-wide approach is needed to control the sensing and processing in each device, under tight real-time constraints, with a scarce energy budget, and a scarce radio communication spectrum.

The candidate will design electronic systems that allow for the implementation of distributed algorithms in real-time. The design of such systems encompasses power optimization, reliability and trade-offs such as software vs. hardware (incl. programmable logic), and on-chip vs. off-chip processing. The design of sensor systems also involves the optimal selection of components for sensing, data processing, wireless transmission and control.

• You develop a research programme at an international level in the electronic design of sensor networks for health.
• You strengthen existing research lines and provide additional expertise.
• You engage in targeted scientific research, resulting in PhDs and publications that meet international standards and lead to broad international recognition.
• You support or initiate a network of health care institutes and companies through the valorisation of research results and by delivering services, aimed at strengthening innovation in the health care sector.
• As part of your research programme, you develop an international partnership, within the academic world as well as with industry.
• You are able to acquire competitive funding, both project-based government funding as well as industrial funding.
• You strive for excellence and thus contribute to the international reputation of the research group and the faculty.

 

Teaching

You provide high-quality education for both bachelor and master students in the field of electronics engineering, more specific in hardware design, with a clear commitment to the quality of the programme as a whole. You are enthusiastic about project-based, hands-on and interactive means of teaching. You contribute to the faculty’s and the university’s pedagogical project by guiding student projects (for example bachelor’s and master’s theses) and supervising PhD students.
You develop your teaching in accordance with KU Leuven’s views on activating and researched-based education and make use of the possibilities for educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.

 

Service

• You are prepared to provide scientific, societal and internal services.
• You maintain close contact with health care institutes and the health care industry.
• You play an active part in profiling the Faculty of Engineering Technology towards new students and the wider professional field by participating in open days, networking events and fairs...

 

Requirements

• You have a PhD in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis on the design of electronic systems, preferably for health applications.  You have expertise in the design of embedded systems (both analog and digital circuits), programmable logic and PCB design.
• You have a strong research track record in the discipline, evidenced by your publications or by your research experience in health care institutes or companies. You have the ambition to contribute to the valorisation of research in society and in industry. International and/or industrial experience is an important advantage.
• You have verifiable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.
• You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership competencies in a university or industry context.
• Proficiency in English is required.

 

The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of your employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in meetings. 

Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch resp. English to the required standard.

 

Offer

We offer full-time employment in an intellectually challenging environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally orientated university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research. It is highly focused on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and strives for international excellence. In this regard, the university actively works together with research partners in Belgium and abroad and provides its students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.

You will work at KU Leuven – Campus Group T and cooperate with the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), STADIUS Center for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics. Both are located in the historic, dynamic and lively city of Leuven. Leuven  is located within 20 minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.

Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the senior academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. In principle, junior researchers are appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years. At the end of this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed (or tenured) as associate professor.

 

Interested?

For more information on the contents of the job, please contact Prof. Dr. Ir. Bart Nauwelaers, departmental chair of the Department Electrical Engineering (bart.nauwelaers@esat.kuleuven.be, tel. +32 16 32 11 14) or Prof. Dr. Ir. Koen Eneman, campus chair of Campus Group T (koen.eneman@kuleuven.be, +32 16 30 10 65).

You can submit your application until 30/09/2017, only through our online application system. If you have problems submitting your application online, please send an email to solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

Please add to your application a biosketch which is an essential part of every application. The instructions for drafting the biosketch are mentioned on the on-line jobsite and on top of the template to be used.

Please add to your application also a research statement (no more than 2 pages), demonstrating your added value for the research programme of the e-Media Lab. In addition, please outline your vision on academic education in a teaching statement (no more than 2 pages).

KU Leuven is committed to creating a diverse environment and is therefore an equal opportunity employer. It explicitly encourages candidates from groups that are currently underrepresented at the university to submit their applications.

You can apply for this job no later than September 30, 2017 via the online application tool found by following the Apply Online link below.