Ph.D. positions in ECE/CS at Iowa State University, USA

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Prof. Hongwei Zhang (whose work can be found at http://www.cs.wayne.edu/~hzhang/) is looking for self-motivated, academically-prepared students to join his Dependable Networking and Computing (DNC) research group as new Ph.D. students starting in fall 2017. The students will work on ambitious, ground-breaking research projects supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and by industry partners such as Ford Research.

The DNC group explores new theories, methods, and systems building-blocks for addressing dynamics and uncertainties in networked systems that involve wireless networks, sensing and control networks, vehicular networks, and the Internet. Presently, the group is especially interested in the modeling, algorithmic, and systems issues in wireless sensing and control networks as well as their applications in augmented reality, connected and automated vehicles, smart energy grid, industrial automation, and cyber-physical-human systems in general. For instance, as a part of the US Ignite, CPS, NeTS, and GOALI programs of NSF and in collaboration with industry, the group has investigated field-deployable mechanisms for predictable, real-time, and secure wireless networking, and the group has investigated cross-layer approaches to taming cyber-physical uncertainties in wireless networked sensing and control; as a part of the NSF GENI program, the group has developed theoretical and systems foundations for experimentation and service provisioning in connected and automated vehicles as well as in federated, networked sensing.

Besides publications, the group's work has provided foundational components for several wireless network systems, including the emulation system and software-defined innovation platforms for sensing and control networks of connected and automated vehicles, the WiMAX research cellular network, the KanseiGenie federated sensor networks, the NetEye experimental infrastructure (which has 176 IEEE 802.15.4 nodes and 15 802.11b/g nodes), and the DARPA sensor network systems A Line in the Sand and ExScal (which, with its 200-node 802.11b mesh network and 1,200-node mote network, was the world's largest wireless sensor network and 802.11b mesh network deployed at its time). For more information about their research, please visit the website of Prof. Hongwei Zhang at http://www.cs.wayne.edu/~hzhang/.

By focusing on high-impact research and by collaborating with other research groups in academia and industry labs, the DNC group provides students with access to world-class facilities, real-world experience, and ample opportunities of contributing to the research and engineering communities. Students in the DNC group will be supported financially in various forms, such as Fellowship, Graduate Research Assistantship, and Graduate Teaching Assistantship.

The DNC group is looking for students who have strong academic background, are self-motivated and goal-oriented, and can take initiative in executing research plans. Experience in systems building and mathematical modeling, experience in original research, and/or a Master degree in related fields (e.g., Communication Engineering, Computer Science/Engineering, and Electrical Engineering) will be a big plus.

Past Ph.D. students of the DNC group have become thought leaders in their fields and have become leading innovators at organizations such as GM Research, Ford Motor Company, Facebook, Marvell Semiconductor Inc., Juniper Networks, Fortinet Inc., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Yale University, and Texas A&M University. If you are interested in joining the DNC group as a Ph.D. student to conduct high-impact research, please contact Prof. Hongwei Zhang (http://www.cs.wayne.edu/~hzhang/, zhang.eecs@gmail.com) and share with him your background (including, but not limited to, resume and transcript), career plan, and expectations for Ph.D. study. Prof. Zhang will call or email you if there is a good match between you and his group.