(Ref. No. PT - 02) Post Doctoral Researcher in Optical Access Networks

(Position partly funded under the collaborative European Research Project PIEMAN)

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Researcher position in Photonic Communication System Research. (Position part funded under the collaborative European Research Project PIEMAN).

In today's communication networks the access portion of the network that provides connectivity to end-users is separate from the metro network that aggregates end-user traffic for onward transmission. However, as bandwidths grow this traditional approach of separate access and metro networks will become prohibitively expensive due to the high capital and operational costs of providing and managing a highly complex network comprising a large number of network elements and interconnection interfaces.

The EU Research Project PIEMAN seeks to address this problem by developing a new type of integrated metro and access network that will allow individual customers to directly access bandwidths of up to 10 Gbit/s upstream and downstream. The PIEMAN approach aims to simplify the network architecture in order to significantly reduce the cost to deliver future broadband services to residential and business customers. This specific project will focus on various aspects of the network demonstrator development. Specific tasks will include the integration within the test bed of the two types of customer transmitter based on novel tuneable lasers and monolithically integrated reflective electro-absorption modulator (EAM) and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The final demonstrator will operate with the 10Gb/s burst data characteristic of passive optical networks (PONs) and will test the dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) capability of the PIEMAN network.

The successful applicant will join an established team within the Photonic Systems Group, will carry out research in purpose-built photonics systems research facilities at the Tyndall National Institute, and will be involved in collaboration with other groups in Tyndall and elsewhere. Training opportunities will be provided to acquire appropriate and experimental and numerical research skills.

Applicants for this position should have or expect to receive in 2008 a PhD in Physics, Electronic Engineering or related subject, and would ideally have experience of optical transmission system research. Familiarity with state of the art of optical access networks would be considered an advantage. The post is available for a period of 2 years initially, and is potentially extendable beyond this time frame subject to successful funding applications.

For further information about this position, please contact Prof Paul Townsend.

To apply for this position, please submit a CV to the e-mail address below, quoting the reference number.

It is unlawful to employ a person who does not have permission to live and work in Ireland. Unless the advert states otherwise, please ensure you have this permission before applying.