[Tccc] Ph.D. Student Position at Telecom Bretagne/Supelec (Rennes, France)

Alberto Blanc alberto.blancattelecom-bretagne.eu
Wed Jul 3 06:20:34 EDT 2013



 Applications are invited for one Ph.D. position co-supervised by Telecom 
Bretagne and Supelec (two engineering schools) in Rennes (France), 
entitled "Cross-Layer Design and Analysis for Energy Efficient Wireless 
Networks"  

Thanks to the success and widespread adoption of powerful mobile devices 
(smart phones, tablets, laptops) combined with the ever increasing 
popularity of cloud-based services, data traffic carried by wireless 
networks keeps increasing.  One of the consequences of this growth is 
that the energy consumed by the different wireless networks keeps 
increasing as well, especially as these networks have been typically 
designed without energy efficiency in mind.

In the context of the Energy Proportional Networks (EPN) project of the 
CominLabs Labex dedicated to increasing the efficiency of wireless 
networks, the Ph.D. candidate will work on cross-layer solutions.

In a wireless network different devices (e.g., Mobile Nodes, Access 
Points, etc.) have to make several decisions at different times. For 
example, Mobile Nodes are typically equipped with multiple network 
interfaces (WiFi, 3G/4G, etc.) and they need to decide whether to use 
only one interface at a time or whether to use multiple interfaces in 
parallel, in which case they also need to assign each application flow 
to an  interface.  Potentially they could also decide to move flows from 
one interface to another ("vertical" handover).  Mobile Nodes also need 
to decide which Access Point (AP)/Base Station they should associate 
with.  Another typical example of a decision in a wireless network with 
mobile nodes is the ("horizontal") handover, that is when a Mobile Node 
should switch to a different AP/Base-Station.

Network elements and the "network" itself need to make decisions as 
well.  Each network device can make decisions individually or 
collaboratively by consulting and coordinating with other devices. For 
example, cellular Base Stations and WiFi Access Points can communicate 
with each other in order to decide when to tell a Mobile Node to execute 
a handover (horizontal or vertical).  Similarly, Base Stations and 
Access Points can adapt certain parameters (e.g., transmission power, 
coding schemes) depending on the current users' distribution and traffic 
demand.

Several algorithms have already been proposed to address these problems, 
using  different techniques (e.g., optimization, machine learning), 
typically at a given layer of the OSI model.  The goal of this 
dissertation is to analyze and eventually modify some of these existing 
algorithms as well as to propose new ones in order to increase the 
overall energy efficiency of wireless networks.  One of the expected 
contributions of this work will be to determine which parameters can be 
estimated reliably and effectively (e.g., traffic load/demand, user 
distribution).  Given the potentially large number of time-varying 
parameters, one possible solution is for users to anonymously share some 
of the measurements in order to allow a (distributed) controller to 
build a precise and updated view of the state of the network, which 
could then be used to better manage the network and decrease its energy 
consumption.

Applicants must have a master's degree in Computer Science/Computer 
Engineering or closely related field, ideally with an emphasis on 
computer networks.

Successful candidates should have:
- Strong programming skills (at least one among: C/C++, Java, Python).
- Strong background in stochastic modelling and statistical analysis.
- Basic knowledge about computer networks (wired and wireless, TCP/IP, 
WiFi).
- Strong skills in oral and written communication.

Interested students should submit the following via email:
- Curriculum vitae.
- Cover letter stating motivations and qualifications.
- TOEFL & GRE scores (if available).
- Names and contact details of at least two references.

To apply and for more information please contact Alberto Blanc 
(alberto.bl... at telecom-bretagne.eu)
_______________________________________________
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