IDEA: Intelligent, Distributed Environmental Assessment is a newly granted project that will run for four years to come. The project will greatly improve methodologies for measuring the quality of the local living environment and support policy action taken on the basis of an intelligent interpretation of results. The project will focus on improving spatial measurement accuracy by using cheaper sensors (e.g. for noise) suitably organised in a network, alternative measurement methodology (e.g. mobile particulate matter measurement), combined environmental agent interpretation based on the structure of the underlying source mechanisms (e.g. traffic networks) and the physics of propagation, etc. New methodologies for distributed processing of the collected data will lead to more efficient use of computer resources. Computational intelligence will be promoted to interpret the observations made by this high performance network and support decision making based on its measurement results.
To strengthen the IDEA team we are currently looking for 2 or 3 students that are interested in starting a PhD (granted by Ghent University, www.ugent.be) in this area. They will work as part of the team of approximately eight researchers involved in the realisation of IDEA and will be fully paid (PhD grant) for four years. After four years of intensive training by the team’s experts, the PhD graduate will be ready for an academic carrier or take a high ranked job in environmental protection, sensor network related business, or similar.
The project will benefit from a team of researchers having different expertise and background. Applicants with a background in computer science, electronic engineering, environmental engineering, physics engineering, information sciences and mathematics will be welcomed. The position is open to applicants of any nationality with good knowledge of English and/or Dutch. A strong interest in environmental protection, sensors, distributed computing and sensor networks or computational intelligence and natural computing is a plus.
Interested candidates should send their curriculum vitae and motivation to: Prof. Dr. ir. Dick Botteldooren (dick.botteldooren@intec.ugent.be), Prof. Dr. ir. Bert Dhoedt (bart.dhoedt@intec.ugent.be) or Prof. Dr. ir. Abdellah Touhafi (abdellah.touhafi@docent.ehb.be).