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KU Leuven

Ph.D. position in Embedded Programming for Intelligent e-Nose

Leuven, Belgium
2025-06-02 (Europe/Brussels)
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About the employer

KU Leuven
KU Leuven

KU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.

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KU Leuven is a multi-campus research institute that offers high-quality educational programs and delivers high-impact research in relevant domains.

The research group M-Group (Mechatronics Group) of KU Leuven performs research on sensors and embedded devices as well as the networks between them. The research group comprises 5 professors and 20 research assistants or Ph.D. students and is based at the brand-new Bruges Campus.

Website unit

Project

The PhD project is aligned with a recently approved project titled “ALCOVE: Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in exhaled breath for early detection of lung cancer”.  Early detection of lung cancer is crucial for effective treatment and follow-up of patients.  The project aims to improve and perfect an e-nose prototype as a research tool to collect exhaled breath and analyse the composition of the air samples.  The ultimate aim is to analyse the air samples and perform an indicative classification for the risk of lung cancer. The results will improve early detection rates, so follow-up procedures can immediately start and increase survival chances.   

The e-nose currently consists of a prototype but requires embedded software and end-to-end user interaction to perform and analyse measurements. Measurements need to be aligned with the patient's breathing pattern, and the validity of the results needs to be assessed at run-time.  Hence, analysis within the embedded electronics of the e-nose is necessary. However, the computational capability in this system is very limited. The challenge will be to find a trade-off between the software's accuracy, speed and computationability.  

For this project, you must contact the consortium's clinical and technical project partners. The clinical partners define the requirements of the e-nose. In contrast, the technical partners provide different kinds of sensors that need to be integrated and where you will provide the control, communication and processing software.   

Profile

For this vacancy, we are looking for a top-of-the-class, enthusiastic Ph.D. candidate who will work on this topic and show a dynamic and proactive attitude towards research and industry. The candidate has excellent electronics and sensor technology skills and an affinity for biomedical/medical applications. 

The successful candidate 

  • has a Master's Degree in Engineering, preferably Computer Science, Electronics, Mechatronics. 

  • is ranked within the top 10% of your class. 

  • Knowledge of Dutch is an added value, as the project is subjected to regional regulations concerning communication in the languages used within that region. 

  • has a significant interest in high-end electronics design and gas sensor technology (mechatronics and chemical engineering) for Biomedical Applications. 

  • has strong communication skills and is willing to present their research results at top national and international conferences. Dissemination of research results on social media is a plus.   

  • Has excellent writing skills to report research results in high-quality, high-impact journals 

  • Is willing to write a Ph.D. fellowship proposal for national funding 

  • Is flexible, has good time management skills, and can work independently with good interaction with the international research teams of the ALCOVE project. 

  • Has a creative, critical, analytical, and innovative mindset. 

  • Is very fluent in English, both spoken and written 

  • Has a critical mindset and can analyze research results in a comprehensive way 

  • Experience as a research assistant or industrial expertise is a plus 

  • Being a first author or co-author in internationally peer-reviewed publications is a plus 

Offer

  • You will be working on a state-of-the-art topic on a brand new campus at Bruges with state-of-the-art laboratories 

  • A young, dynamic work environment where human contact and professionalism are vital. 

  • Contacts with industrial partners and consultancy companies in the sector. 

  • We offer a full-time position for 1 year, which can be extended to four years upon positive evaluation. 

  • Other working conditions can be found at https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/phd/phd-information 

Website with a description of the project (in Dutch)

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Hans Hallez, tel.: +32 50 66 48 38, mail: [email protected] or Prof. dr. ir. Jeroen Boydens, tel.: +32 50 66 48 03, mail: [email protected].

Please provide  

- a motivation letter and CV with at least 2 contacts who can be contacted 

- if available, a PDF version of your Master thesis 

- Full transcripts (overview of study results) of your Bachelor's and Master's studies.  Please, provide preliminary results if the Master’s degree is not completed yet. 

- if possible, a certificate of an English language test (IELTS or TOEFL) 

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

Job details

Title
Ph.D. position in Embedded Programming for Intelligent e-Nose
Employer
KU Leuven
Location
Oude Markt 13 Leuven, Belgium
Published
2025-04-16
Application deadline
2025-06-02 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)
2025-06-02 23:59 (CET)
Job type
PhD
Field
Biomedical Engineering, , Computer Engineering, , Electrical Engineering, , Programming Languages, , Mechatronics,
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About the employer

KU Leuven
KU Leuven

KU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.

Visit the employer page