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3 PhDs, Digital Twins, Operational Analytics, and Reconfigurable Computing

  • Nieuwe Universiteitsgebouw (NU)
  • Amsterdam
  • 1 / 1
  • Faculty of Science
  • PhD
  • MSc
  • Closes on
    31-03-2025
  • Publishing date
    21-01-2025
Apply
Join a groundbreaking collaboration in the 6G FNS project, advancing ICT through infrastructure simulation, digital twins, reconfigurable computing, and serverless computing. Apply now to shape the future of technology!

Your function

We invite applications for three PhD positions shaping the future of 6G network infrastructure and operations.

PhD Position 1: Digital Twin-Aided Design of Massive Virtual Worlds Running on Kubernetes
Massive virtual worlds are online environments where users share joint experiences for entertainment, education, and commerce. The most popular examples of online worlds are multiplayer games like Minecraft and Fortnite, with player-modifiable worlds enabling rich interaction. Next-gen virtual worlds have tighter performance requirements as they are accessed from Virtual Reality headsets and support modifiable virtual environments (MVEs). Performance problems can directly cause the user to be nauseous. We expect next-gen virtual worlds that take advantage of the compute continuum from the user’s device to a large datacenter.

Experimentation across the compute continuum with diverse devices, large datacenters, large-scale networks, and deep software stacks is expensive and complex. Digital twins solve this problem by replicating the real-world infrastructure in software and responding to changes the same way the original infrastructure would. This enables users to ask counterfactual questions ranging from simple, “What is the performance impact of new hardware?”, to complex, “How will the new AI software stack change my profit margin?”

In this project, the candidate will design and implement software to run massive virtual worlds (10,000+ users) on the Kubernetes platform. The candidate will build a digital twin of the virtual worlds and Kubernetes using, for instance, the in-house data center simulator developed by our group the OpenDC simulator (https://opendc.org/). The user will use this toolkit composed of the digital twin and real-world software to run experiments that would be impossible using just the real-world software or the digital twin.

PhD Position 2: 6G-Ready Application Testing and Lifecycle Management Using Operational Data Analytics
Current cloud-based applications are composed of multiple services interacting with each other in complex ways. Often, these services are not designed by a single person but emerge as multiple teams build what is necessary to solve their problems. With applications designed for next-gen 6G infrastructure, we expect the applications to become more complex and span the compute continuum from user devices through edge devices to large datacenters.

These applications serve important social needs related to transportation, governance, healthcare, commerce, entertainment, and education. Therefore, their reliability is paramount. However, the services are difficult to test fully in isolation. It is also difficult to model all the ways a service can be used apriori, as users can find new use cases over time. Therefore, continuous monitoring, testing, and fault tolerance at runtime become important.

In this project, the candidate will design and implement an Operational Data Analytics system for 6G-ready applications. The system will collect functional and performance data across the software-hardware stack. The candidate will design and build systems to generate synthetic data to characterize real-world ICT infrastructure and digital twins. The generated data should replicate interesting real-world phenomena in the infrastructure and aid in replicating them in a digital twin.

The project has multiple promising directions in each part. The candidate has free reign to choose from various statistical and machine-learning techniques to apply to the data collection and application testing tasks. The candidate can apply techniques from software engineering and programming languages to help with testing and lifecycle management. The candidate can run grand experiments in distributed systems and collect Terabytes of monitoring data.

PhD Position 3: Reconfigurable Computing and Simulation for heterogeneous, future-proof, ICT infrastructures.
Reconfigurable computing architectures, such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays (CGRAs), and wafer-scale chips, offer significant opportunities for improving performance and energy efficiency compared to traditional CPUs/GPUs. These devices provide massive spatial parallelism and are well-suited for dataflow programming paradigms. However, optimizing and porting code efficiently to these architectures remains a key challenge.
This project will explore how reconfigurable computing devices can be integrated into large-scale heterogeneous infrastructures, which include CPUs, GPUs, DPUs, and others. The research will focus on addressing the complexity of the device-software-application-data design space, enabling systematic and efficient exploration using modeling and simulation tools.

The PhD candidate will work on identifying relevant application domains for the FNS 6G project (e.g., data analytics, network functions, and data plane acceleration tasks) and investigating key research questions, including:

  1. What techniques and abstractions are most effective for designing and optimizing applications for reconfigurable computing architectures (HW/SW co-design)?
  2. How can reconfigurable computing devices be seamlessly integrated into heterogeneous deployment and leveraged in large-scale computing workflow?
  3. How can simulation tools enable systematic and efficient mapping of distributed applications onto heterogeneous infrastructures?

Your profile

  • You have completed a Master in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related Master's programme. The Master’s degree must have been awarded by the agreed starting date of the PhD;
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • You have strong oral and written communication skills in English;
  • familiarity with computing simulation tools is a plus
  • (PhD Position 1) Experience with serverless architectures, multiplayer game design and Kubernetes deployments is a plus.
  • (PhD Position 2) background and competencies in computer systems performance analysis and large-scale systems experiments
  • (PhD Position 3) Background in parallel and distributed computing is a nice to have. Knowledge of hardware programming, high-level synthesis tools, and reconfigurable computing architectures (e.g., AMD AI Engine, Tenstorrent) is a plus.
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
  • You are proactive and enthusiastic about addressing cutting-edge research challenges.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of € 2.901,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.707,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
  • an employment contract of initially 18 months. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

About the project and group
Join the frontier of innovation in 6G: the future of mobile network technology. A unique Dutch alliance, comprising 60 leading ICT businesses, mobile operators, semiconductor manufacturers and research institutions, have united to spearhead the development of specific aspects of 6G: Software antennas, AI-driven network software, and groundbreaking 6G applications.

This candidate will be embedded in the Massivizing Computer Systems (MCS) group, which focuses on research in distributed computing systems and ecosystems, and currently spans over 40 diverse people of which 3 staff. The group aims to contribute to solving high-challenge, high-impact scientific and societal challenges, and has much international and national visibility in research and education in computing systems. The group chair, Prof. Iosup, has received prestigious national awards for both research and education, and has been inducted in the (Young) Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The MCS group has a central role in organizing the national and international computer systems communities, and has played leading roles in organizing top-tier conferences (e.g., HPDC, ICPE, CCGRID) and journals (e.g., IEEE TPDS). The MCS group publishes in high-quality conferences, journals, and magazines, and has an outsized presence in conducting grand experiments and in releasing FAIR data and software artifacts. The group has long-lasting links with national and international organizations, and plays a leading role in international academic-industrial partnerships, such as the SPEC Research Group and the LDBCouncil. Last, but not least, the MCS group has a sustained and leading presence in developing young talent through individual supervision and embedding in large, cross-disciplinary, international teams.

The department of Computer Science has approximately 170 staff members, including 35 tenured staff and approximately 90 Ph.D. students. Much of the research with the department is embedded in the Network Institute of Vrije Universiteit, covering beyond Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence disciplines such as Social Sciences, Humanities, and Economics. The Department also actively participates in Amsterdam Data Science, a collaboration between more than 600 data science researchers from different institutions in Amsterdam. The department has a nationally and internationally visible scientific presence and impact, e.g., in computer systems, software engineering, AI/ML, bioinformatics.

Faculty of Science
Researchers and students at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science tackle fundamental and complex scientific problems to help pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, and from molecules to the moon: we cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. Our teaching and research have a strong experimentally technical, computational and interdisciplinary nature.

We work on new solutions guided by value-driven, interdisciplinary methodologies. We are committed to research, valorisation and training socially engaged citizens of the world who will make valuable contributions to a sustainable, healthy future.

Are you interested in joining the Faculty of Science? You will join undergraduate students, PhD candidates and researchers at the biggest sciences faculty in the Netherlands. You will combine a professional focus with a broad view of the world. We are proud of our collegial working climate, characterised by committed staff, a pragmatic attitude and engagement in the larger whole. The faculty is home to over 11,000 students enrolled in 40 study programmes. It employs over 1,600 professionals spread across 10 academic departments.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility.  Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in one of these positions and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application and upload the following content: 

  • a cover letter (max. 2 pages). Please indicate which PhD position(s) you are applying for, and include contact details for two references;
  • your curriculum vitae;
  • recent grades;
  • if possible, a sample of a written report in English.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we reserve the right to talk to candidates and fill the position before the deadline. Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Your function

We invite applications for three PhD positions shaping the future of 6G network infrastructure and operations.

PhD Position 1: Digital Twin-Aided Design of Massive Virtual Worlds Running on Kubernetes
Massive virtual worlds are online environments where users share joint experiences for entertainment, education, and commerce. The most popular examples of online worlds are multiplayer games like Minecraft and Fortnite, with player-modifiable worlds enabling rich interaction. Next-gen virtual worlds have tighter performance requirements as they are accessed from Virtual Reality headsets and support modifiable virtual environments (MVEs). Performance problems can directly cause the user to be nauseous. We expect next-gen virtual worlds that take advantage of the compute continuum from the user’s device to a large datacenter.

Experimentation across the compute continuum with diverse devices, large datacenters, large-scale networks, and deep software stacks is expensive and complex. Digital twins solve this problem by replicating the real-world infrastructure in software and responding to changes the same way the original infrastructure would. This enables users to ask counterfactual questions ranging from simple, “What is the performance impact of new hardware?”, to complex, “How will the new AI software stack change my profit margin?”

In this project, the candidate will design and implement software to run massive virtual worlds (10,000+ users) on the Kubernetes platform. The candidate will build a digital twin of the virtual worlds and Kubernetes using, for instance, the in-house data center simulator developed by our group the OpenDC simulator (https://opendc.org/). The user will use this toolkit composed of the digital twin and real-world software to run experiments that would be impossible using just the real-world software or the digital twin.

PhD Position 2: 6G-Ready Application Testing and Lifecycle Management Using Operational Data Analytics
Current cloud-based applications are composed of multiple services interacting with each other in complex ways. Often, these services are not designed by a single person but emerge as multiple teams build what is necessary to solve their problems. With applications designed for next-gen 6G infrastructure, we expect the applications to become more complex and span the compute continuum from user devices through edge devices to large datacenters.

These applications serve important social needs related to transportation, governance, healthcare, commerce, entertainment, and education. Therefore, their reliability is paramount. However, the services are difficult to test fully in isolation. It is also difficult to model all the ways a service can be used apriori, as users can find new use cases over time. Therefore, continuous monitoring, testing, and fault tolerance at runtime become important.

In this project, the candidate will design and implement an Operational Data Analytics system for 6G-ready applications. The system will collect functional and performance data across the software-hardware stack. The candidate will design and build systems to generate synthetic data to characterize real-world ICT infrastructure and digital twins. The generated data should replicate interesting real-world phenomena in the infrastructure and aid in replicating them in a digital twin.

The project has multiple promising directions in each part. The candidate has free reign to choose from various statistical and machine-learning techniques to apply to the data collection and application testing tasks. The candidate can apply techniques from software engineering and programming languages to help with testing and lifecycle management. The candidate can run grand experiments in distributed systems and collect Terabytes of monitoring data.

PhD Position 3: Reconfigurable Computing and Simulation for heterogeneous, future-proof, ICT infrastructures.
Reconfigurable computing architectures, such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays (CGRAs), and wafer-scale chips, offer significant opportunities for improving performance and energy efficiency compared to traditional CPUs/GPUs. These devices provide massive spatial parallelism and are well-suited for dataflow programming paradigms. However, optimizing and porting code efficiently to these architectures remains a key challenge.
This project will explore how reconfigurable computing devices can be integrated into large-scale heterogeneous infrastructures, which include CPUs, GPUs, DPUs, and others. The research will focus on addressing the complexity of the device-software-application-data design space, enabling systematic and efficient exploration using modeling and simulation tools.

The PhD candidate will work on identifying relevant application domains for the FNS 6G project (e.g., data analytics, network functions, and data plane acceleration tasks) and investigating key research questions, including:

  1. What techniques and abstractions are most effective for designing and optimizing applications for reconfigurable computing architectures (HW/SW co-design)?
  2. How can reconfigurable computing devices be seamlessly integrated into heterogeneous deployment and leveraged in large-scale computing workflow?
  3. How can simulation tools enable systematic and efficient mapping of distributed applications onto heterogeneous infrastructures?

Your profile

  • You have completed a Master in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related Master's programme. The Master’s degree must have been awarded by the agreed starting date of the PhD;
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • You have strong oral and written communication skills in English;
  • familiarity with computing simulation tools is a plus
  • (PhD Position 1) Experience with serverless architectures, multiplayer game design and Kubernetes deployments is a plus.
  • (PhD Position 2) background and competencies in computer systems performance analysis and large-scale systems experiments
  • (PhD Position 3) Background in parallel and distributed computing is a nice to have. Knowledge of hardware programming, high-level synthesis tools, and reconfigurable computing architectures (e.g., AMD AI Engine, Tenstorrent) is a plus.
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
  • You are proactive and enthusiastic about addressing cutting-edge research challenges.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of € 2.901,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.707,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
  • an employment contract of initially 18 months. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

About the project and group
Join the frontier of innovation in 6G: the future of mobile network technology. A unique Dutch alliance, comprising 60 leading ICT businesses, mobile operators, semiconductor manufacturers and research institutions, have united to spearhead the development of specific aspects of 6G: Software antennas, AI-driven network software, and groundbreaking 6G applications.

This candidate will be embedded in the Massivizing Computer Systems (MCS) group, which focuses on research in distributed computing systems and ecosystems, and currently spans over 40 diverse people of which 3 staff. The group aims to contribute to solving high-challenge, high-impact scientific and societal challenges, and has much international and national visibility in research and education in computing systems. The group chair, Prof. Iosup, has received prestigious national awards for both research and education, and has been inducted in the (Young) Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The MCS group has a central role in organizing the national and international computer systems communities, and has played leading roles in organizing top-tier conferences (e.g., HPDC, ICPE, CCGRID) and journals (e.g., IEEE TPDS). The MCS group publishes in high-quality conferences, journals, and magazines, and has an outsized presence in conducting grand experiments and in releasing FAIR data and software artifacts. The group has long-lasting links with national and international organizations, and plays a leading role in international academic-industrial partnerships, such as the SPEC Research Group and the LDBCouncil. Last, but not least, the MCS group has a sustained and leading presence in developing young talent through individual supervision and embedding in large, cross-disciplinary, international teams.

The department of Computer Science has approximately 170 staff members, including 35 tenured staff and approximately 90 Ph.D. students. Much of the research with the department is embedded in the Network Institute of Vrije Universiteit, covering beyond Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence disciplines such as Social Sciences, Humanities, and Economics. The Department also actively participates in Amsterdam Data Science, a collaboration between more than 600 data science researchers from different institutions in Amsterdam. The department has a nationally and internationally visible scientific presence and impact, e.g., in computer systems, software engineering, AI/ML, bioinformatics.

Faculty of Science
Researchers and students at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science tackle fundamental and complex scientific problems to help pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, and from molecules to the moon: we cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. Our teaching and research have a strong experimentally technical, computational and interdisciplinary nature.

We work on new solutions guided by value-driven, interdisciplinary methodologies. We are committed to research, valorisation and training socially engaged citizens of the world who will make valuable contributions to a sustainable, healthy future.

Are you interested in joining the Faculty of Science? You will join undergraduate students, PhD candidates and researchers at the biggest sciences faculty in the Netherlands. You will combine a professional focus with a broad view of the world. We are proud of our collegial working climate, characterised by committed staff, a pragmatic attitude and engagement in the larger whole. The faculty is home to over 11,000 students enrolled in 40 study programmes. It employs over 1,600 professionals spread across 10 academic departments.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility.  Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Tiziano de Matteis

Assistant Professor

Interested

Are you interested in one of these positions and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application and upload the following content: 

  • a cover letter (max. 2 pages). Please indicate which PhD position(s) you are applying for, and include contact details for two references;
  • your curriculum vitae;
  • recent grades;
  • if possible, a sample of a written report in English.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we reserve the right to talk to candidates and fill the position before the deadline. Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Tiziano de Matteis

Assistant Professor

Application procedure

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