Four (4) PhD Scholarships in Onboard Space Systems, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden (2015)

The Division of Space Technology is based at the Space Campus in Kiruna, the space capital of Sweden. The town is located on the 67th parallel north, about 150 km above the Polar Circle, which enables a set of unique conditions for space-related research and industry. It is home to an array of space activities, including the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) and the SSC-Esrange Space Center, along with a consortium of multinational companies. Several ESA’s antennas are also located in Kiruna, providing facilities for tracking, telemetry and radiometric measurements. Kiruna is a popular tourist attraction for its icehotel, midnight sun and northern lights. It also hosts the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.

The Luleå University of Technology offers 4 PhD Positions:
1) Ph.D. Student Position in Onboard Space Systems with focus on Advanced Software Defined Radio Technology for Satellite Ground Segments
The purpose of the project is to design, develop and implement a new architecture for the RF-basebands of the satellite ground stations that will allow a more software centric operations, based on the Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology.

2) Ph.D Student Position in Onboard Space Systems with focus on Concurrent Multidisciplinary Methodologies for Analysis and Synthesis of Nanosatellites
The research aims at the establishment of a concurrent framework for system modeling, detailed design and hardware-in-the-loop evaluation of nanosatellites. The fundamental inquiry is whether the synergy resulting from integrating different disciplines in concurrent synthesis and analysis can lead to a better solution unattainable by the conventional decoupled and loosely-coupled approaches. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with ÅAC Microtec.

3) Ph.D Student Position in Onboard Space Systems with focus on Autonomous Navigation Systems for High-Altitude Balloons
The purpose of the project is to lower the risks involving the trajectories for stratospheric, zero-pressure balloons for scientific missions, through design and development of a methodology and technology for their autonomous navigation along desired trajectories, despite various uncertain and unpredictable factors associated with wind profiles, air temperature and pressure forecast, transferred mass at inflation, and other thermodynamic effects.

4) Ph.D. Student Position in Onboard Space Systems with focus on Hardware-in-the-loop Design and Simulation of Satellite Micro-propulsion Systems
The project aims at engineering of an integrated hardware-in-the-loop design and simulation platform for performance analysis and optimization of modular micro-propulsion systems used particularly for miniaturized satellites under different conditions and in various missions.

Further details:
http://academicpositions.eu