PhD Candidate in AI Driven MAC Control for Integrated Terrestrial NTN 6G Networks

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the position

Are you motivated to pursue a doctoral degree and contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and next-generation wireless communications like 6G?

The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology (IIK) at NTNU has a vacancy for a PhD candidate in AI‑Driven & Self-healing MAC Control for Integrated Terrestrial-NTN 6G networks. The position is fully funded and will run for four years (100 % employment), including teaching duties. Your immediate leader is the Head of the Communication Technology Unit at the department of Information Security and Communication Technology. The workplace will be located in Trondheim.

About the project

Future 6G and beyond communication systems are expected to integrate terrestrial cellular networks with non-terrestrial platforms, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites, High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). While such integrated networks can provide ubiquitous connectivity and improved resilience, they also introduce significant challenges due to highly dynamic radio environments, heterogeneous backhaul infrastructures, mobility, resource constraints, and service disruptions.

The core research focuses on the MAC layer and its techniques – the candidate will design, implement and evaluate an AI-driven MAC-control framework that self‑heals in integrated terrestrial-NTN (LEO, HAPS, UAV) 6G networks. The work will be hands-on and system-oriented; a closed-loop, verifiable prototype will be built, tested under realistic degradations and examined for different metrics such as latency, reliability, fairness and SLA‑violation. 

For example, the candidate will do some of the tasks including:

• AI-driven Link Adaptation and MAC control – develop AI-based mechanism that proactively anticipate and respond to rapidly changing conditions in integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (LEO satellites, HAPS, and UAVs) and to cascading radio access networks (RAN) failures/degradations.
• AI-Driven self-healing MAC – develop algorithms and techniques at the MAC layer for fast anomaly detection, failure prediction, autonomous recovery, and performance resilience.
• Service-aware MAC layer techniques – develop novel MAC-layer mechanisms that integrate queueing theory, traffic modelling, machine learning, and network-performance prediction for improving latency, reliability and fairness to support mission‑critical services.

The proposed algorithms and mechanisms will be implemented and validated on the B5G Lab infrastructure at the IIK department, NTNU. The lab provides industry‑grade 5G equipment, open‑source RAN stacks, programmable OpenFlow/P4 switches and AI‑Boxes for fast inference, together with NetFPGA/DAG hardware for sub‑millisecond failure detection and a Timeseries‑DB/Grafana monitoring platform for closed‑loop testing. One or multiple satellite ground stations (e.g., Starlink, OneWeb) will be installed and connected to the core network soon to support NTN testing.

Duties of the position

• Complete all the doctoral courses work, a condition to obtain the doctorate degree
• Carry out high‑quality research within the scope described above
• Publish enough scientific results in recognized venues and contribute to research disseminations
• Actively participate in the Networking Research Group and its activities
• Engage in international activities (conferences, research stays at foreign educational institutions)
• Teach and support learning activities in courses related to communications and networking

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in wireless communications and mobile networks, computer networks and distributed systems, telecommunication engineering, computer science with a networking focus, or equivalent, with a strong background in theory, ML/AI, and mathematics
• Your master’s degree must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level
• Master students can still apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position, and no later than 1st of August 2027 
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your master’s degree study or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to  NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background (not worse than C), you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• A scientific proposal (max. 1000 words / 3 pages) 
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD program in Information Security and Communication Technology.
• Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language and are not native English speakers must provide evidence of good written and spoken English language skills. The following tests can be used as such documentation: 
  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test).
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted).
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A 

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNU's guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• High skills in applied mathematics, problem mathematicalising and solving
• Practical experiences with networked systems and multi-vendor softwarized environments
• Experience with 5G radio access and core testbeds including open-source solutions
• Relevant publications and dissemination will be considered an advantage
• Experience in teaching, preferably on master level
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

We are seeking applicants who are:

• Highly motivated by fundamental research of practical relevance
• Well organized and have interest beyond their own research
• Capable to work independently with clear goals and plans to achieve them 
• Eager to present and discuss their research with other professionals
• Eager to disseminate research results in both local and international venues

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, in terms of the qualifications specified in the advertisement.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Access to the B5G Lab’s state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)  
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse, and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability, and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 580 000,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 4 years for the doctoral work including teaching duties. Integrated PhD study candidates are welcome to apply. For more information on the Integrated PhD program you may check here.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD program in Information Security and Communication Technology within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral program throughout the period of employment.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• Curriculum Vitae (clear, up to date)
• Copy of Master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position
• A scientific proposal (max. 1000 words / 3 pages, written in English) including a brief problem formulation, research questions, theoretical perspective, methodological approach, and an initial progress plan for the project
• Your motivation letter (max. 400 words/1 page, written in English)
• Names and contact information of three relevant references
• Publications or other relevant research work (e.g., conferences, journals) (if applicable)
• Certificates or other relevant documentation (e.g., hands-on work with 5G network) (if applicable)
• Link(s) to public GitHub (or similar) repositories or other code portfolios demonstrating relevant programming experience (e.g., in C++ and/or Python) (if applicable)

If all or parts of your education have been completed abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint work will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you find this position interesting and believe it aligns with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Tu Dac Ho, email: tu.d.ho@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Julie Lindland, email: julie.lindland@ntnu.no. 

Application deadline: 23.10.2026.

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.