Interdisciplinary PhD: User-Centric Wireless Networks and Urban Co-Creation

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Research Field Architecture » Design Engineering » Communication engineering Engineering » Computer engineering Engineering » Electrical engineering Engineering » Electronic engineering Engineering » Industrial engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country Belgium Final date to receive applications 27 Mar 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number BAP
- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

This PhD explores how citizens, spatial context, and devices jointly shape the behaviour of future wireless networks. Building on the Cocoon project's ambition to rethink mobile infrastructure beyond static, top-down deployments, the research studies how low‑height, lightweight, adaptable access points can become meaningful elements of public space.
The project has two core research pillars:
1. Spatial, Architectural, and Human‑Space Analysis You will investigate how people use, move through, and experience wireless systems in public and semi‑public space. This includes:

• analysing how urban form, materiality, enclosure, and human presence influence network performance;
• studying the behaviour of low‑height, body‑proximal, or mobile access points in real environments;
• employing spatial analysis, prototyping, and sensing‑based observation as methodological tools.

2. Designing User‑Centric, Co‑Created Wireless Infrastructures Using insights from spatial and technical studies, you will contribute to new design principles for adaptive, energy‑efficient, and citizen‑driven networks. This involves:

• developing measurement‑informed spatial maps of real‑time channel conditions;
• designing early‑stage co‑creation tools that enable citizens to position, move, or adjust network elements;
• exploring architectural principles for integrating wireless components as intentional parts of the built environment;
• using making‑based and cross‑disciplinary design methodologies (inspired by CM³) to prototype lightweight "contact service points" that adapt to users and spatial dynamics.

Across these pillars, your work spans measurement campaigns, wireless experimentation, spatial analysis, prototyping, and the development of participatory design methodologies. The final aim is to build a methodological and scientific foundation for a new type of wireless infrastructure that is open, adaptable, energy‑conscious, and architecturally embedded in the city.
General:

• You hold a Master's degree with distinction.
• You have an excellent command of English, both spoken and written.
• You are able to critically analyse theoretical texts and empirical studies, and you write clearly and convincingly.
• You can work independently, you take initiative, and you function well in a collaborative team setting.
• You are motivated and capable of successfully completing a PhD under supervision.

We welcome candidates from Architecture or Engineering (Electrical/ICT) with a strong interest in the complementary domain.
1. Candidates from Architecture You are motivated to work with:

• data‑driven spatial analysis;
• prototyping and hands‑on making;
• sensing technologies and environmental mapping;
• human‑space interaction and participatory design;
• exploring how architectural methods can inform and reshape technological systems.

2. Candidates from Engineering You are motivated to engage with:

• spatial design and human‑space interaction;
• public‑space thinking and urban context;
• participatory and co‑creation methodologies;
• prototyping in real environments where user behaviour and spatial form matter.

Across both profiles, you are hands‑on, curious, comfortable iterating between theory and experiment, and interested in fieldwork and real‑world prototyping. You can translate insights between technical and spatial domains and are eager to develop new interdisciplinary research methodologies.

• We offer a full‑time fixed‑term position for one year, renewable up to a maximum of four years.
• The intention is that the research evolves into a complete PhD trajectory, with the doctoral degree to be obtained at the end of the four‑year period.
• Working hours are flexible, and your schedule is defined in mutual agreement.
• KU Leuven encourages an active campus environment where on‑site work is combined with teleworking when appropriate.
• You can expect varied and meaningful work with room for professional development and increasing responsibility.
• KU Leuven provides a broad range of training opportunities focused on strengthening your talents and supporting your personal growth.