Career


Overview

The WiCI Center has Researcher, Engineer, and Student positions for the research, development, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Open RAN, advanced wireless (e.g., URLLC in 5G-and-beyond systems), rural broadband, and applications (e.g., agriculture automation, XR/metaverse, EdTech, and renewable energy). The positions offer opportunities of contributing to exciting projects such as the $16M ARA PAWR project, $20M ICICLE AI Institute project, $42M O-RAN project ACCoRD, OPERA open-source project, and other projects of the WiCI Center. Key missions include:

  • Leading the large-scale, first-of-its-kind wireless living lab ARA which features bleeding-edge research and innovation platforms such as those for LEO satcom, high-capacity and long-distance wireless x-haul (e.g., free-space optical communications, mmWave, microwave), massive MIMO, xURLLC, communications and networking softwarization, XR, and precision agriculture;
  • Leading Open RAN R&D and the operation of ARA-OTIC, the North America O-RAN Open Testing and Integration Center in central Iowa; and
  • Collaborating with a broad ecosystem of public-private partners in advancing the frontiers of Open RAN, wireless systems, edge/cloud computing, rural broadband, and applications.

The work is conducted at Iowa State University (ISU), U.S.A. ISU is a major research university, and it has over 80 years of rich and distinguished history of transformative innovations in computing and electronics. For instance, faculty, students, and alumni have pioneered the world’s first electronic digital computer, world’s first portable phone, and world’s first handheld scientific calculator. As a 400+ acre development and having over 96 tenants employing over 2,250 people, the ISU Research Park hosts a vibrant startup community as well as R&D branches of major companies such as John Deere. In addition, many other established and start-up companies (e.g., Collins Aerospace, Emerson) are within 100 miles from ISU campus and are leaders in wireless communication and networking, XR and control systems, and their applications in various domains. ISU campus also offers a great life experience in the City of Ames, Iowa.

Detailed descriptions of the positions are enclosed below. Interested candidates are encouraged to email the WiCI Career Team with relevant background information (e.g., education, experience, transcripts, and/or publications) and the names of up to three references. Applications will be considered until the positions are filled. (Note: due to the volume of inquires, we may be unable to respond to each inquiry, but each inquiry is carefully considered and greatly appreciated. Different positions may become available over time; to receive notifications on new positions in the WiCI Center, please join the Google Group WiCI Career via  https://groups.google.com/g/wici-career. Questions/suggestions can be directed to Prof. Hongwei Zhang.)

Detailed Position Description

For the Researcher position (i.e., postdoc, research scientist/professor), prior research experience in wireless, networks, and/or distributed systems is invaluable. For instance, qualifications in any of the following areas are strong pluses:

  • Research experience and quality publications in advanced wireless systems (e.g., safety-critical wireless, URLLC, Open RAN, 6G/NextG);
  • Hands-on experience with cellular network platforms (e.g., O-RAN, srsRAN, OpenAirInterface, ONF SD-RAN), edge/cloud computing platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, OpenStack), SDN, and/or VNF;
  • Hands-on experience in designing, developing, deploying, and/or operating field-deployed wireless, network, and/or distributed systems;
  • Hands-on experiences in edge/cloud systems management, virtual machines/containers, Linux systems administration, shell scripting, etc;
  • Capability of building systems prototypes based on reference publications and/or open-source software;
  • Knowledge of wireless systems, networked/distributed systems, operating systems, virtualization, systems and network security;
  • Programming skills: Python, C, C++, Java, Web etc.

For the Systems/Software Engineer position, prior experience in wireless, networks, software, and/or distributed systems is invaluable. For instance, qualifications in any of the following areas are strong pluses:

  • Hands-on experience with cellular network platforms (e.g., O-RAN, srsRAN, OpenAirInterface, ONF SD-RAN), edge/cloud computing platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, OpenStack), SDN, and/or VNF;
  • Hands-on experience in designing, developing, deploying, and/or operating field-deployed wireless, network, and/or distributed systems;
  • Hands-on experience in open-source projects and open-source software systems;
  • Hands-on experiences in edge/cloud systems management, virtual machines/containers, Linux systems administration, shell scripting, etc;
  • Capability of building systems prototypes based on open-source software and/or reference publications;
  • Knowledge of systems/software engineering, DevOps, wireless systems, networked/distributed systems, operating systems, virtualization, systems and network security;
  • Programming skills: Python, C, C++, Java, Web etc.

For the Ph.D. positions, background in computer science, computer engineering, and/or electrical engineering is required, and experience in systems building, analytical studies, research, and/or telecom/software industry will be a strong plus.

For the Master and Undergraduate positions, we always welcome the opportunities of training and working with engineering/science students with experience/interest in research, programing, systems building, and experiential learning, as well as non-engineering/science students with experience/interest in project management, business operation (e.g., finance, accounting), marketing, entrepreneurship, communication, etc.