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Deterministic Networking for the Industrial Internet of Things Position type: PhD Student Where: Inria Paris-Rocquencourt, HIPERCOM2 team advisor: thomas.watte...@inria.fr (http://eecs.berkeley.edu/~watteyne/) HR Contact: cecile.bertrand-kalko...@inria.fr Application deadline: 30 April 2015 Research goal ============= The goal of this research is to participate in creating the Internet of (Important) Things, the cornerstone technology for tomorrow's Smart Factory. You will conduct a rigorous study on the capabilities of low-power wireless mesh "Time Synchronized Channel Hopping" (TSCH) technology, and identify its performance bounds (latency, throughput, reliability, power consumption). Through your research, you will contribute to open-source projects such as OpenWSN, conduct experimental studies, participate in standardization activities, and drive international collaboration with the leading research teams in the field. Research Context ================ Tomorrow's smart factory will rely heavily on low-power wireless mesh technology to monitor and automate the manufacturing process. A combination of centralized control and distributed intelligence will ensure different data flows coexist in the wireless "umbrella" network spanning the smart factory. For low-power wireless to be usable in tomorrow's smart factory, it must offer Determinism, Manageability and Service level agreements. One major challenge is that wireless is unreliable in nature: in a typical smart factory environment, multi-path fading and external interference affect the reliability of the wireless links. We propose a ground-up redesign of low-power wireless technology, with an architecture rooted in the "Time Synchronized Channel Hopping" (TSCH) link-layer technology focused on determinism and manageability. A TSCH network combines time synchronization to achieve ultra low-power resource reservation, and channel hopping to increase reliability of the wireless link by combating external interference and multi-path fading. Communication in a TSCH network is orchestrated by a schedule which indicates to each node what to do in each timeslot (transmit, receive or sleep), and on which channel (frequency). Description =========== The goal of your research is to conduct a rigorous study on the capabilities of TSCH technology and identify its performance bounds (latency, throughput, reliability, power consumption). The idea is two-fold: (1) define the "box" of constraints TSCH technology can be used in, and quickly identify unrealistic assumptions, and (2) determine the theoretical performance bounds of TSCH networks. You will then compare these results against solutions developed in the IETF 6TiSCH working group, and by other members of the HiPERCOM2 research team. You will take a non-conventional approach by building an empirical model of TSCH using real-world dense connectivity datasets which you will gather on a large number of testbeds and environments. These datasets will be dense in time, in space, and in frequency, and will constitute the largest set of dense connectivity datasets in the world. The connectivity datasets will allow you to precisely quantify the benefits of channel hopping by conducting "what-if" scenarios to compare single-channel solutions to channel hopping. You goal will be to use these results to develop a stochastic connectivity model to precisely determine the (soft) real-time performance bounds attainable on a TSCH network. You will need to encompass both the link-layer scheduling, and the multi-hop routing solution used. You will use this model to evaluate the different mechanisms being developed in the IETF 6TiSCH working group, and define solutions to introduce determinism in low-power wireless technology. You will conduct research in an extremely stimulating environment, with the HiPERCOM2 team, but also in constant collaboration with other international research teams, through open-source projects, and by interacting with standardization bodies. Experimentation will play an important role in your research. You will implement your different proposals in OpenWSN ( http://openwsn.berkeley.edu/), and conduct experimental validation on the IoT-lab (https://www.iot-lab.info/), a 2728-node open testbed deployed in 6 sites across France. You will also interact closely with the IETF standardization processes, in particular through the 6TiSCH working group. This will give you an opportunity to contribute to defining tomorrow's standards and products. Through the REALMS associate team, you will also closely work together with the research teams of Prof. Glaser (UC Berkeley) and Prof. Kerkez (U. Michigan). Skills and expertise ==================== We are looking for outstanding candidates ready to make a significant contribution to the field of low-power wireless mesh networking. This grand challenge includes working with real-world hands-on experimentation, contributing to standardization bodies, and frequently interacting with companies and research teams around the world. We are hence looking for a candidate with excellent academic credentials as well as strong "soft" and "hard" skills. * Speaking French is not a requirement. Professional proficiency in English is, however, important. * By the time you start with this position, you must hold a Master's degree (MsC) in computer science, control engineering, mathematics, scientific computation or an equivalent diploma in a related field. * You must demonstrate very good programming skills and experience (C/Python/Java, etc.), ideally including web development (server-side, JavaScript, PHP, html, etc.) * Embedded programming experience is a plus, ideally involving low-power wireless devices and experience with IoT-related open-source projects (OpenWSN, RIOT, Contiki, TinyOS, etc.) * A strong interest in scientific problems and motivation for independent and goal-oriented research. * We are looking for the "tinkerer" kind. If you have built an Arduino-based fan which tracks you as you move about, a plant which tweets when you need to water it, tell us about it! Benefits ======== Located at the heart of Europe, Paris is a unique place to work and live in. Inria offers a unique balance between working in a leading research center and living in one of the most beautiful and bustling cities in the world. A real communication hub, Paris is a gateway to France and Western Europe, and working in the Inria Paris-Rocquencourt research center is real asset to your career. * Monthly gross salary: 1958 € first and second years, 2059 € third year * approx. 45 days of annual vacation * ultra-convenient daily dedicated Inria shuttle bus to/from central Paris (free) * Inria covers part of your commute expenses (metro, bus, etc.) * When needed, Inria will help you apply for Scientific Resident card and a visa * on-site restaurant (Inria pays for part of you expenses) * on-site gym, tennis courts, soccer field, etc. Working at Inria ================ Established in 1967, Inria is the only public research body fully dedicated to computational sciences. Combining computer sciences with mathematics, Inria's 3,500 researchers strive to invent the digital technologies of the future. Educated at leading international universities, they creatively integrate basic research with applied research and dedicate themselves to solving real problems, collaborating with the main players in public and private research in France and abroad and transferring the fruits of their work to innovative companies. Inria researchers have published over 4,500 articles in 2013 and are behind over 270 active patents and 110 start-ups. In 2013, Inria's budget was 235 million euros, 25% of which represented its own resources. The 180 project teams are distributed in eight research centers located throughout France. The Inria Paris-Rocquencourt research center is located next to the famous Chateau de Versailles gardens, right outside of Paris. Thanks to its top-quality researchers and numerous international guests, the Paris-Rocquencourt research center plays a leading role in international research, in particular around networking and communication systems. The 41 research teams of the center are continuously pushing the boundaries in developing new concepts and techniques. HiPERCOM2 is a leading research team in High PERformance COMmunications. The research team, lead by 3 faculty members (Pascale Minet, Paul Muhlethaler, Thomas Watteyne), is designing Tomorrow's Internet of (Important) Things. The team pushes the limits of low-power wireless mesh networking by applying them to critical applications such as industrial control loops, with harsh reliability, scalability, security and energy constraints. Grounded in real-world use cases and experimentation, HiPERCOM2 co-chairs the IETF 6TiSCH standardization working group and co-leads Berkeley's OpenWSN project. The team is associated with Prof. Glaser's (UC Berkeley) and Prof. Kerkez (U. Michigan) through the REALMS associate research team. Additional information ====================== If you have questions about the scientific contents of the position, we encourage you to browse http://eecs.berkeley.edu/~watteyne/ and contact thomas.watte...@inria.fr before applying. For administrative/practical questions, e-mail cecile.bertrand-kalko...@inria.fr. You will find the official offer at http://www.inria.fr/en/institute/recruitment/offers/phd/campaign-2015/(view)/details.html?id=PNGFK026203F3VBQB6G68LOE1&LOV5=4509&LG=EN&Resultsperpage=20&nPostingID=9262&nPostingTargetID=15256&option=52&sort=DESC&nDepartmentID=28 . You must apply online through the Inria Web site. Evaluation of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply early. Security and defense procedure: In the interests of protecting its scientific and technological assets, Inria is a restricted-access establishment. Consequently, it follows special regulations for welcoming any person who wishes to work with the institute. The final acceptance of each candidate thus depends on applying this security and defense procedure.
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