phd submission ugent

Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Phd defences.

Nicolas Dewolf

Qurrotul Ayun

Pathy KibunguKembelo

Rachel Mawer

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• Doctoral fellows

PhD Student

Job description.

PhD position IC design for FMCW LiDAR Place: Tech Lane Ghent Science Park 126, 9052 Ghent, Belgium Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students. Description of post: Ghent University is seeking a candidate for a PhD position to research high-frequency electronic integrated circuits which will be co-designed and co-integrated with complementary photonic integrated circuits for next-generation frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR transceivers. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a 3D sensing technology based on laser light to measure the distance between an object and the sensor that holds great promise for allowing autonomous machines to see and navigate the world with very high precision. Typically, LiDAR designs comprise a multitude of moving parts (e.g., an assembly of lasers, optics, electronics, and detectors) on a mechanically rotating stage. The need to assemble and align all these parts leads to high costs and relatively low manufacturing volumes, while the wear and tear on the mechanical components limits long-term reliability, and all these factors have been hindering a wide adoption of this technology. To solve these problems, one of the big trends that industry is witnessing is the drive to higher levels of integration enabled by semiconductor technologies, and the move away from discrete and mechanical components. The PhD student will participate in an international team in an EU-funded Doctoral Network project called NiteLiDAR. The project consists of 10 PhD students at 3 universities, an international R&D organization, and a company. The project has partners from four different EU countries. All 10 Phd projects are within the overall theme of photonic and electronic integrated circuits for next-generation LiDAR technologies. This PhD project will take place at Ghent University. Apart from the time at UGent there will be secondments at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Electro) and at Bright Photonics, The Netherlands. There will also be common meetings with the other 9 PhD students in the doctoral network, including 3 training schools. As a participant of the project, the PhD student will become part of the IDLab-Design team at UGent and imec with extensive expertise in the design and characterization of high-speed integrated circuits for optical transceivers in various applications. The activities within the project will benefit from synergies with other projects in the group as well as with other activities in the department. The main supervisor will be Prof. Johan Bauwelinck. Responsibilities and tasks This research is situated in the receiver part of the FMCW LiDAR system and complements the research on the transmitter design by other PhD students. The specifications and key requirements will be jointly defined taking advantage of potential system-level trade-offs. A balanced optical receiver or a full coherent receiver are envisioned with high bandwidth (around 15 to 20 GHz), high dynamic range and low noise to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the FMCW receiver. Electro-optic co-simulations will be set up, using appropriate models and equivalent circuits, to co-optimize the electro-optic receiver performance for LiDAR. A co-designed FMCW receiver will be investigated and developed through custom photonic IC and electronic IC design. The resulting receiver architectures and circuits will be fabricated through MPWs and assembled in functional sub-systems. The PhD student working on this project will closely collaborate with another PhD student at UGent working on the related photonic integrated circuits, considering the electronic-photonic co-design. The project will among others consist of the following tasks: 1. Study and define receiver architectures and specifications 2. Investigate circuit-level trade-offs and implement custom solutions 3. Design of electronic ICs in co-design with photonics ICs 4. Proof-of-concept realization, experimental validation and demonstration in relevant conditions The IDLab Design group focuses on the research and development of electronic and opto-electronic integrated circuits for photonic applications, covering both high-speed communication and sensing applications. The group is internationally recognized as a leader in this area, as evidenced by its current involvement in 18 Horizon 2020 projects, 16 Horizon Europe projects, one ESA project and several significant direct collaborations with leading industry partners. These collaborations form the perfect basis for high-level and industry-relevant research and training in an environment with expert peers and top-notch test and measurement equipment. The group is currently 34 people strong, and very active in the imec high-speed transceiver and coherent transceiver programs. The IDLab research is supported by extensive high-speed and high-frequency measurement infrastructure housed in a 160m2 Faradized cage allowing for e.g. 4-port network analysis up to 67GHz, 256 GSa/s arbitrary waveform generation for signals beyond 100 Gbaud and 256 GSa/s signal acquisition for broadband signals up to 110 GHz. Our offer

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on Sept 1, 2024 at the earliest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

We offer a fully funded PhD position for full-time research in a highly international, renowned and friendly working environment, with a competitive salary at Ghent University. As a researcher you will publish and present your research results at major international conferences and in scientific journals in order to pursue your PhD degree and you will receive the possibility to follow various advanced training courses in Belgium and abroad. You are also expected to participate in outreach activities including, but not limited to, YouTube videos, social media updates, participation in public events and campaigns, as well as dissemination to popular press. Typical research projects in the Design group involve multiple researchers with different specialties working as a team. Hence, a good team spirit, a good knowledge of English and effective communication skills (such as presenting and reporting) are of major importance for a successful collaboration.

Job profile

• You need to hold a relevant master’s degree e.g., Master of Science in Electrical Engineering or Electronics Engineering. Moreover, at the date of recruitment you have maximum four year research experience and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.
• Strong background in the design and realization of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits using advanced SiGe BiCMOS or CMOS processes
• Proficiency with design tools such as Cadence, electromagnetic simulators, parasitic extraction and verification tools

Additional experience considered as a plus:

Work experience (academic or industrial) or publications

Experimental characterization of high-speed, high-frequency components and (sub-) systems

Principles of optical Communications, signal processing, optical devices and photonics circuits

• Your English is fluent, both speaking and writing
• You are a team player with good networking and reporting skills
• Furthermore, due to the mobility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date.

How to apply

Further information Send your application or any questions concerning this vacancy to Prof. Johan Bauwelinck, [email protected] Applications should include a CV, a personal motivation letter, and contact information of three reference persons. After screening, selected candidates will be invited for an online interview as a first contact in a multi-stage selection process. Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 15 May 2024. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. The desirable start for the PhD position is Sep 1, 2024. All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. The recruitment is taking place following the European Code of Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers, which all candidates are encouraged to consult. The personal data of the applicants will be handled in compliance with applicable EU and national law on data protection (GDPR).

Selection process NiteLiDAR is open to researchers regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, political views, language, age and nationality. Applications from highly qualified applicants from outside the EU will thus be equally considered to other applicants. The integration of refugees is an EU priority and we will ensure equal opportunities to the researchers whose scientific careers have been interrupted. To ensure a gender balance in the project and work towards the Commission’s own policies on narrowing the gap between the genders in research, should two applicants be found to be equally qualified the preference will be given to the one that will balance the gender distribution in the entire Doctoral Network. After the deadline, all submitted applications will be checked against the defined admissibility and eligibility criteria (e.g. submitted electronically, readable, complete, in English, including grades and references), and applicants will be informed by email within two work weeks on the outcome. The following interviews and selection process will be carried out by a temporary Selection Committee constituted by the Coordinator (when possible) and the supervisors. Evaluation criteria include: Scientific background, capacity for creativity and independent thinking and leadership, mentoring and presentation abilities.

About the employer Ghent University is one of the most important education and research institutions in the Low Countries, ranked 84 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities ( http://www.shanghairanking.com/ ). On a daily basis, over 15,000 staff members and 49,000 students implement its motto "Dare to Think". Ghent University's mission statement is characterized by qualitative education, internationally renowned research and a pluralistic social responsibility. The IDLab research group is also a core group of imec. Imec is the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and also has distributed R&D groups at a number of Flemish universities, in the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, China, and offices in India and Japan. All of these particular traits make IDLab a top-class research employer. Acknowledgement The NiteLiDAR project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 101120353.

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Bof phd scholarships.

In the context of the cooperation agreement between Ghent University, the VUB and the United Nations University (UNU), an independent research institute of the United Nations, Ghent University has been awarding 2 BOF doctoral scholarships with UNU-CRIS label each year since 2017. 

The scholarship amount is approximately €2.590 per month, depending on the family status of the scholar. A bench fee of €310/month is awarded to the promoter for operational costs.

Required UNU-CRIS Label

Proposals must be aligned with UNU-CRIS'  research programmes .

The scholarship holders are enrolled as doctoral students at the UGent but will carry out their research activities mainly (4 days/week) at the United Nations University - CRIS campus in Bruges. Physical presence on the campus is an obligation.

During the execution of the selected research project, the supervisor will be associated with UNU-CRIS.

A statement by Philippe De Lombaerde, Director of UNU-CRIS, supporting your application must be added to the application form. To apply for a UNU-CRIS label, please complete this form .  

Who Can Apply for a BOF PhD Scholarship

There are no restrictions in terms of nationality, age or field of research.

To be eligible, the candidate should preferably belong to at least the top 20% best students of the cohort in terms of all degrees obtained.

An application for a BOF doctoral scholarship must always be submitted with the support of a Ghent University supervisor (ZAP member). Other Ghent University researchers can act as co-supervisors, non-Ghent University researchers as ‘researchers involved'.

If you have any additional questions related to the application process, please contact [email protected] with Andrew Dunn ( [email protected] ) in CC.

How to apply

1. To apply for a UNU-CRIS label, please complete this form .  

2. Fill in the application form and send it to [email protected]

3. The Ghent University supervisor should simultaneously send a separate document with their opinion on the candidate's research potential (advice promotor) to [email protected]

The application form and other relevant documents can be found at the bottom of this webpage . Please read the call document thoroughly and use it as a guide when preparing your application.

Application Deadline

23 May 2024   (23.59 CET)

In order to ensure your application receives the UNU-CRIS label, please contact us by 16 May at the latest.  Inquiries received after this date may not be considered. 

Non-UGent candidates who have not yet obtained their master's degree at the moment of the application deadline are required to send their diploma and final study results no later than 12 July 2024  to  [email protected]

For UGent students, this information is automatically provided by the central student administration.

Announcement of the results

Results online available on  28 August 2024 .

Non-awarded candidates will receive feedback within 6 weeks after the results are published.

Duration BOF doctoral scholarship with label

Period: 4 years (1+3)

In accordance with the regulations for PhD scholarship recipients, the doctoral program starts by definition with a scholarship agreement of 1 year. If, before the end of the first year, the doctoral advisory committee or, in the absence thereof, the promoter(s) judge(s) that both the substantive progress in the context of the doctoral research and the overall functioning of the PhD scholarship recipient are such that the doctoral program can be successfully completed within a reasonable period of time, the promoter issues a positive advice in a written form. A positive recommendation leads to a 3-year extension of the doctoral scholarship.

Start date: 1 October 2024

More Information and Submission

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• Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
• Start a PhD

Apply for PhD Defense

To defend your PhD dissertation, take the following steps:

1. Registering for the doctoral exam

For the submission of your PhD dissertation the faculty uses a new online submission platform:

• Browse to Plato ( https://plato.bw.ugent.be )
• Fill out the general information regarding your PhD
• Check your doctoral title + your promoters in plato

If your promoters have changed or you want to obtain a different doctoral title, please hand in the forms before the deadline. Forms can be found on  Changes in PhD — Faculty of Bioscience Engineering — Ghent University (ugent.be)

https://www.ugent.be/bw/nl/faculteit/raden/voorzitters-doctoraatsjury

• Enlist the jury members of your exam committee.  Check the faculty regulations concerning the composition of the examination board.
• Add the expertises of the examination committee.

A PhD candidate can only be admitted to the doctoral examination if following internal condition is fulfilled: either 1) being first or second author of an accepted publication in a journal referenced in the Web of Science (A1 publication: research article or review), 2) being inventor, holder or applicant of a patent application or of a granted patent. This research article, review or patent should be linked to the doctoral research. The article needs at least to be in the stage of acceptance; if not yet published, proof of acceptance has to be provided.

• Fix date of the internal defense before the faculty board, so the manuscript and evaluation forms can be sent to all jury members after the faculty board.
• Sign the application digitally
• All promoters need to digitally sign the application before the deadline (1 week before the meeting of the doctoral commission)
• Make sure you respect the deadlines for submitting this information (see table below) in order for the student administration to timely prepare the agenda for the faculty board meeting. Too late submissions will be handled a month later.
• Upload your CV and write down a short Dutch summary

2. Submit your dissertation

• At the latest 1 day before the Faculty Doctoral Commission meets (see deadlines below), you have to upload a pdf of your doctoral dissertation + your cv in Plato
• For the PhD manuscript of the internal defense, please include line numbers on each page. This will facilitate jury members to more easily refer to specific sentences when having comments or questions.
• After the faculty board : ask if the chair + members of the examination committee need a  hard copy of your PhD  (not necessary to hand in a copy of your PhD at the Faculty Student Administration anymore)
• Check the deadline to submit documents for the Faculty Board .

3. Internal defense

Counting from the day of the Faculty Board meeting , your PhD examination committee will have at least 30 calendar days to evaluate your dissertation.

Jury members will upload evaluation forms through the Plato platform.

One week before the internal defense, the online Plato Platform will send you the reports of the jury members.

• Prepare your internal defense based on the review reports
• The internal defense (3 hours) is dedicated to assessing the originality of your research, to evaluate your knowledge, to clarify technical aspects and to come to a general appreciation of your PhD research and you as a PhD candidate. 
• The internal exam results in 3 possible outcomes: 
• Admission to public defense (no changes or minor changes requested) within 60 days after internal defense
• Admission to public defense, provided that specific changes are performed in the manuscript. You should be able to perform those changes within a reasonable amount of time: at least 1 month, maximally 3 months. The examination committee needs to re-assess the modified manuscript and give final green light for admission to the public defense.
• No admission to the public defense. Resubmission of a new version of the PhD needs to wait for at least a year. This decision is in principle only taken if the candidate was given a Decision 2 (major revision) in a previous examination committee meeting.

What's next?

The Faculty Student Administration keeps you updated about what to do after the Internal defense,

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Research / PhD

Your study choices.

Kent offers various types of research degrees at Master’s level, PhD (doctorate) and professional doctorate. You can study a Master's independently or you can aim to upgrade to a PhD after a year of study. Standard attendance times for postgraduate research can be found in the sections below.

Master's by research (MA/MSc/LLM)

A Master's by research degree focuses on research expertise and prepares you for professional work or PhD study. A typical Master's programme at Kent takes one year full-time or two years part-time to complete. That's half the time it takes to complete a Master's in the US and Europe.

Research Master's programmes require the submission of an extensive thesis or practice-led research project. A thesis at this level must show the ability to conduct an independent study and to understand its relationship to a wider field of knowledge.

Doctorate (PhD)

A PhD is a doctorate of philosophy based on mostly independent study. It typically takes a minimum of three years to a maximum of four years to complete full-time, or a minimum of five years to a maximum of six years when studied part-time. We also offer  external PhDs  for candidates who wish to study from their home country.

Under the guidance of your academic supervisor, you conduct unique research in your chosen field before submitting an extensive thesis of a publishable standard. A PhD thesis should demonstrate your understanding of a substantial body of knowledge. More importantly, it highlights thew important contribution that your research is making to scholarship.  

As your PhD progresses, you move through a series of progression points and review stages. This ensures that you are engaged in a process of research that will lead to the production of a high-quality thesis and that you are on track to complete this in the time available. Following submission of your PhD thesis, you have a viva voce (oral) examination assessed by experts in your field.

Considering a PhD?

How should you approach a supervisor? What do they look for in a candidate and an application? How should you apply? 

University of Kent academics Dr Heejung Chung, Dr Dan Lloyd and Professor Paul Allain offer their tips and advice.

Professional doctorate

A professional doctorate is equivalent to a PhD but focuses on a specific professional context. The professional doctorate in Sport, Exercise and Health Science at Kent has been designed for experienced sport, exercise and health science practitioners.

Through a combination of individually tutored modules and your own research, you develop your academic and professional knowledge and acquire a range of advanced research skills. The programme culminates with the submission of your doctoral thesis or portfolio.

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Twenty-three MIT faculty honored as "Committed to Caring" for 2023-25

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In the halls of MIT, a distinctive thread of compassion weaves through the fabric of education. As students adjust to a postpandemic normal, many professors have played a pivotal role by helping them navigate the realities of hybrid learning and a rapidly changing postgraduation landscape. 

The Committed to Caring (C2C) program at MIT is a student-driven initiative that celebrates faculty members who have served as exceptional mentors to graduate students. Twenty-three MIT professors have been selected as recipients of the C2C award for 2023-25, marking the most extensive cohort of honorees to date. These individuals join the ranks of 75 previous C2C honorees. 

The actions of these MIT faculty members over the past two years underscore their profound commitment to the well-being, growth, and success of their students. These educators go above and beyond their roles, demonstrating an unwavering dedication to mentorship, inclusion, and a holistic approach to student development. They aim to create a nurturing environment where students not only thrive academically, but also flourish personally. 

The following faculty members are the 2023-25 Committed to Caring honorees:

• Hamsa Balakrishnan, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Cynthia Breazeal, Media Lab
• Roberto Fernandez, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Nuh Gedik, Department of Physics
• Mariya Grinberg, Department of Political Science
• Ming Guo, Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Myriam Heiman, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Rohit Karnik, Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Erik Lin-Greenberg, Department of Political Science
• Michael McDonald, Department of Physics
• Emery Neal Brown, Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology
• Wanda Orlikowski, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Kenneth Oye, Department of Political Science
• Kristala Prather, Department of Chemical Engineering
• Zachary Seth Hartwig, Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
• Tracy Slatyer, Department of Physics
• Iain Stewart, Department of Physics
• Andrew Vanderburg, Department of Physics
• Rodrigo Verdi, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Xiao Wang, Department of Chemistry
• Ariel White, Department of Political Science
• Nathan Wilmers, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Maria Yang, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Since the founding of the C2C program in 2014 by the Office of Graduate Education, the nomination process for honorees has centered on student involvement. Graduate students from all departments are invited to submit nomination letters detailing professors’ outstanding mentorship practices. A committee of graduate students and staff members then selects individuals who have shown genuine contributions to MIT’s vibrant academic community through student mentorship.

The selection committee this year included: Maria Carreira (Biology), Rima Das (Mechanical Engineering), Ahmet Gulek (Economics), Bishal Thapa (Biological Engineering), Katie Rotman (Architecture), Dóra Takács (Linguistics), Dan Korsun (Nuclear Science and Engineering), Leslie Langston (Student Mental Health and Counseling), Patricia Nesti (MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), Beth Marois (Office of Graduate Education [OGE]), Sara Lazo (OGE), and Chair Suraiya Baluch (OGE).  

This year’s nomination letters highlighted unique stories of how students felt supported by professors. Students noted their mentors’ commitment to frequent meetings despite their own busy personal lives, as well as their dedication to ensuring equal access to opportunities for underrepresented and underserved students.

Some wrote about their advisors’ careful consideration of students’ needs alongside their own when faced with professional advancement opportunities; others appreciated their active support for students in the LGBTQ+ community. Lastly, students reflected on their advisors’ encouragement for open and constructive discourse around the graduate unionization vote, showing a genuine desire to hear about graduate issues.

Baluch shared, “Working with the amazing selection committee was the highlight of my work year. I was so impressed by the thoughtful consideration each nomination received. Selecting the next round of C2C nominees is always a heartwarming experience.” 

“As someone who aspires to be a faculty member someday,” noted Das, “being on the selection committee … was a phenomenal opportunity in understanding the breadth and depth of possibility in how to be a caring mentor in academia.”

She continued, “It was so heartening to hear the different ways that these faculty members are going above and beyond their explicit research and teaching duties and the amazing impact that has made on so many students’ well-being and ability to be successful in graduate school.” 

The Committed to Caring program continues to reinforce MIT’s culture of mentorship, inclusion, and collaboration by recognizing the contributions of outstanding professors. In the coming months, news articles will feature pairs of honorees, and a reception will be held in May.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Increasing phd student self-awareness and self-confidence through strengths-based professional development submission type: research article provisionally accepted.

• 1 Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Toxicology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, United States
• 2 Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Strengths-based programs have emerged as asset-based approaches to professional development that promote positive student engagement and success. This paper shares the outcomes of a strengths-based professional development program provided to biomedical and health sciences graduate doctoral students within an academic health center. Program outcomes and changes in participants’ perceived confidence when identifying and applying their strengths in different contexts were evaluated through a mixed methods design that included a Likert-based survey and thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Findings strongly suggest that most participants lacked the self-confidence and/or self-awareness to recognize their own strengths prior to the program. Themes that emerged upon implementation of the program point to the following outcomes: participants gained an increased understanding of their strengths, confidence that the knowledge gained about their strengths would help them learn more effectively in laboratory settings, an increased belief that they possess natural talents and skills that make them good scientists and strong members of their research team, and confidence that applying their strengths will help them to overcome both personal and professional challenges. This program shows promise to strengthen graduate student self-awareness and self-confidence. Further studies are needed to understand and measure how asset-based programs such as this can impact graduate student resilience, science identity, and overall student success.

Keywords: graduate, Strengths, Professional Development, biomedical, Health Sciences, Science identity, stem

Received: 31 Jan 2024; Accepted: 22 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Lockman and Ferguson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Dr. Julie A. Lockman, West Virginia University, Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Morgantown, United States

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