PhD student in Semantic communications

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Ref IDA-2025-00364
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Your work assignments

The PhD student will be involved in the project “Joint Communications and Control - Semantics of Information and Goal-oriented Communications”. This project addresses the growing demands for information and mobile technologies in the digital era, where autonomous systems — such as robots, vehicles, and drones — generate vast volumes of multimodal data that require real-time transmission and processing for remote actuation. The proposal targets two interdependent challenges:

  • the inherent complexity of end-to-end information flow spanning sensing, computation, communication, and reconstruction, and
  • the need to evaluate generated and transmitted data in terms of their relevance and utility for achieving specific objectives.

To address these challenges, the project will develop theoretical and algorithmic foundations for goal-oriented, semantics-aware communication strategies that enable efficient, intelligent, and adaptive information exchange in joint communication and control. In addition, considering challenging applications and use cases will accelerate the development and validate the proposed methodology.

The successful candidate will work on developing theoretical and algorithmic foundations for goal-oriented, semantics-aware communication strategies that enable efficient, intelligent, and adaptive information exchange in joint communication and control. This project is in collaboration with Lund University. The candidate is expected to have a strong mathematical background particularly in stochastic modeling, optimization, and reinforcement learning.

As a PhD student, you devote most of your time to doctoral studies and the research projects of which you are part. Your work may also include teaching or other departmental duties, up to a maximum of 20 per cent of full-time.

Your qualifications

You have graduated at Master’s level in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Applied Mathematics or completed courses with a minimum of 240 credits, at least 60 of which must be in advanced courses in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Applied Mathematics. Alternatively, you have gained essentially corresponding knowledge in another way. 

Applicants must have very good mathematical maturity and have programming skills. Applicants are expected to have very good English skills, orally and in writing.

Your workplace

The Department of Computer and Information Science was founded in 1983 but its roots go back to the early 1970s. It is one of the largest computer science departments in northern Europe. Our research covers a broad spectrum of fields, from core to applied computer sciences. Its vast scope also benefits our undergraduate and graduate programmes, and we now teach courses in several engineering programmes at bachelor’s and master’s levels, as well as the programmes in statistics, cognitive science and innovative programming. Read more at https://liu.se/ida

You will be funded by and will join ELLIIT (Excellence Center at Linköping–Lund in Information Technology), a research environment within the government-funded strategic research area in IT and Mobile Communications. Read more:  https://elliit.se/

The employment

When taking up the post, you will be admitted to the program for doctoral studies. More information about the doctoral studies at each faculty is available at Doctoral studies at Linköping University

The employment has a duration of normally four years’ full-time equivalent. Extension of employment up to five years is based on the degree of teaching and institutional assignment. Further extensions may be granted in exceptional circumstances. You will initially be employed for one year, after which your employment will be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time, depending on your progress through the study plan. 

Starting date by agreement. 

Salary and employment benefits

The salary of PhD students is determined according to a locally negotiated salary progression.

More information about employment benefits at Linköping University is available here.

Union representatives

Information about union representatives, see Help for applicants.

Application procedure

Apply for the position by clicking the “Apply” button below. Your application must reach Linköping University no later than December 10, 2025.

Applications and documents received after the date above will not be considered.

We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives - diversity enriches our work and helps us grow. Preserving everybody's equal value, rights and opportunities is a natural part of who we are. Read more about our work with: Equal opportunities.

We look forward to receiving your application!


Linköping university has framework agreements and wishes to decline direct contacts from staffing- and recruitment companies as well as vendors of job advertisements.

Contact persons

Elin Ånell

HR administrator

elin.anell@liu.se

Nikolaos Pappas

Associate Professor

nikolaos.pappas@liu.se

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