PhD Position on Reliable Neuromorphic System Design

Job description

Various emerging device technologies and computing paradigms are being investigated for energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Some examples are RRAM or STT-MRAM-based Computation-in-Memory (CIM) accelerators. However, these new technologies and computing paradigms introduce new challenges in terms of reliability failures, non-ideality issues and manufacturing defects which are unique to those emerging device. Thus, there is a growing demand for reliable and fault tolerant neuromorphic system design which includes techniques such as reliability-aware mapping and optimization techniques as well as high-quality, and cost-effective mitigation schemes that can guarantee the reliable operation of the system in the presence defects and non-ideality issues.

The Computer Engineering (CE) section of the Quantum & Computer Engineering (QCE) department is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate who wants to work on reliable and fault tolerant architectures for future neuromorphic accelerators. The candidate will work on the following:

• Identifying the reliability failure mechanisms and non-ideality issues in various of neuromorphic accelerators, such as emerging memory-based CIM, or spiking NNs.
• Developing solutions to address the impact of non-ideality issues.
• Developing fault-tolerance and self-healing mechanisms to guarantee reliable system operation in the presence of faults and defects.
• Developing design time and runtime configurable solutions for graceful degradation.

The PhD position is part of the SNS (self-healing Neuromorphic Systems), a multi-partner national project involving several key academic and industrial partners such as, Technology University of Eindhoven (TUE), Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam (CWI), IMEC and Delft University of Technology (TUD).

You will be part of a diverse and passionate research team of academic staff, PhD candidates and Postdoctoral researchers in the Computer Engineering group. Curious to learn more about the project, and perhaps our group? Feel free to browse our webpages:

• About the SNS project: Self-healing Neuromorphic Systems.
• About our department: QCE department.
• About our group: Computer Engineering Labs.

Job requirements

For this position, an ideal candidate should have:

• Completed a relevant MSc degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or any other related field relevant to the PhD research.
• Good understanding of analog or digital circuit design.
• Basic understanding of defects, faults, test solutions, reliability of electronic systems is a plus.
• Basic understanding of AI and its hardware implementations is a plus.
• An affinity with teaching and guiding students.
• The ability to work in a team and take initiatives.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2901 per month in the first year to € 3707 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.