At the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Mathematical Sciences, one or more PhD stipends/Integrated PhD stipends in inference and modeling of Quantum transduction processes are available within the general study programme in Mathematics. The stipends are open for appointment from August 1, 2026, or soon as possible thereafter.

The stipends are available for 3 or 4 years depending on whether the applicant already holds a master’s degree. Applicants who hold a master’s degree can apply for a 3-year position, and applicants who have finished 4 years of full-time studies but do not hold a Master’s degree can apply for a 4 years integrated PhD stipend. The Integrated PhD stipends are only open for appointment with starting date 1 September 2026.

According to the most recent US News and World Ranking, Aalborg University ranks 3rd in Europe and 27th in the world within Best Universities for Engineering. According to a 2018 MIT report, Aalborg University is considered to have the 4th best engineering program in the world. According to the recent Times Higher Education Impact ranking, Aalborg University ranks 9th in the World for UN SDG Impact.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences conducts research in a wide range of mathematical disciplines and has three study programmes: mathematics (including a specialization in statistics at the master level), mathematical economics, and mathematics-technology.

The department offers an international and informal working environment. The department is proud of its long tradition of good social relations and collaboration among colleagues. Employees at the department have great opportunities to shape the direction of their professional activities. 

The Center for Classical Communication in the Quantum Era (CLASSIQUE) is a pioneering research initiative at Aalborg University, Denmark, and is headed by Prof. Petar Popovski. The center aims to revolutionize communication systems for the quantum age. As quantum technologies rapidly advance, CLASSIQUE focuses on a critical challenge: how to evolve classical communication networks to support both traditional data and the unique requirements of quantum information systems (https://www.classique.aau.dk). CLASSIQUE will address a suite of fresh research challenges defined by the intersection of digital applications that have real-time requirements and quantum resources that are time-constrained due to the decoherence and volatility. CLASSIQUE is organized into four research thrusts that rely upon interdisciplinary competences in: communication theory, networking, information theory, physics, mathematics, computer science, and statistics

This PhD project falls under the collaboration between Research Thrust RT2 Physics-based models, and Research Thrust RT3 on representation, compression, learning, and inference.

For long-distance quantum communication, distributed quantum computing, and joint classical-quantum networks, it is essential to convert between stationary quantum memories (e.g., trapped ions, atoms, nuclear spins) and flying photonic qubits. This conversion of quantum information between physical carriers is referred to as quantum transduction, and it is a critical challenge for scalable quantum technologies.

While many quantum memories exhibit long coherence times and high-fidelity local control, photons remain the most practical carriers for communication. The transduction step that maps quantum states from physical matter to photons is, however, a major source of loss, decoherence, and noise. Understanding the fundamental limits, dominant error mechanisms, and learnable effective models of such transduction processes is therefore of both theoretical and practical importance.

Your work tasks

This PhD project aims to develop structure-aware inference methods for modeling quantum transducers as open quantum systems, with a particular focus on identifying dominant loss and noise channels and quantifying their impact on quantum information transfer. The key elements that the project could potentially cover includes one or more of the following:

• Modeling quantum transduction as an open-system process, using quantum channels, Kraus representations, and Lindblad master equations.
• Learning effective dynamical models of transduction from measurement data, including Kraus operators of noisy quantum channels and Lindblad generators governing Markovian open-system dynamics.
• Identifying dominant error mechanisms in practical transducers, such as photon loss, thermal excitation and relaxation, phase decoherence, and leakage.
• Finding physically motivated structures such as sparsity, symmetry, and restricted noise models, so that the complexity of the system identification is reduced.
• Quantifying fundamental limits on transduction fidelity imposed by thermodynamics, coupling constraints, and noise.
• Analyzing which error channels dominate performance under realistic conditions when using existing and experimentally motivated transduction models.

Prospective applicants for this PhD proposal should have the following qualifications:

• M.Sc. degree or BSc + one year of Master Studies in mathematical engineering, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering or similar.
• Solid mathematical and analytical skills, including optimization and/or information theory.
• Experience in programming, e.g., in C++, Python or with quantum simulators, such as NetSquid, is a plus.
• Familiarity with the concepts of quantum information and quantum computing.
• Curiosity to research and develop new solutions in collaboration with senior and junior researchers within the research group and the Center CLASSIQUE.
• Readiness to collaborate with the researchers from other disciplines within the Center CLASSIQUE.

Applicants are required to submit, along with their application documents, a one-page statement, indicating their vision for research to be conducted in relation to the project topics outlined above. You are not supposed to formulate a very precise research proposal though.

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold aMaster's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time.

Integrated PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who has not yet completed a Master’s degree and who wish to begin the PhD study in connection with the Master study. Thus a prerequisite for acceptance is that the candidate is enrolled in a relevant Master’s programme, such as Mathematics, Mathematical Engineering, Electronic systems. The integrated stipend consists of two parts, A and B. During part A you are enrolled simultaneous in the Master’s programme and in the PhD programme. When the Master’s degree has been obtained, you will be employed for two years as a PhD fellow according to the present collective agreement. The stipend consists of two SU-PhD Grants per month (SU=The Danish students’ Grants and Loans Scheme). One SU-PhD grant equals DKK 7.426 kr (2026 level). SU-PhD Grants are paid for a maximum of two years. When the Master’s degree has been obtained, you will be employed for two years as a PhD fellow according to the present collective agreement. Part B has a maximum duration of two years.

Please visit the website of the doctoral school for further information on admission requirements.

Who we are    

The successful candidate will be hosted by the Section of Mathematics of the department of mathematical sciences, as part of the CLASSIQUE center.

A dedicated supervisory team lead by Professor Horia Cornean, Professor Jan Østergaard, Associate Professor Christophe Biscio, and composed of experts from the departments of electronic systems and mathematics will be assembled to support the interdisciplinarity of the PhD project. The CLASSIQUE Center provides a world-class research environment outstanding working and networking opportunities, and full employment benefits, including a competitive salary.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (bachelor's and master's degree diploma, including grades) 
• Other relevant documents

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website. 

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Do you have any questions?     
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information  
Read more about our recruitment process here.

The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Read more about The Doctoral School of Engineering and Science

Salary and terms of employment

The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish) 

Allocation of SU-PhD Grants are according to the Ministerial Order on the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme part 12, section II. This applies to integrated PhD stipends only.

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