Open Positions

Opportunity: QUESTING PhD – SDN control planes for quantum systems

The Future Networks and Communications Laboratory in the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin is inviting applications for a full-time, fully funded PhD studentship focused on the design of Software Defined Network (SDN) control planes for quantum systems. This position is part of QUESTING, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network aimed at advancing quantum technologies through interdisciplinary research and training.

The PhD project will address key challenges in quantum networking, including the development of SDN control architectures for entanglement distribution networks and hybrid classical–quantum systems. The successful candidate will work on optimising resource placement, routing, and performance under quantum-specific constraints, integrating quantum-aware SDN with existing optical SDN platforms, and evaluating scalability and efficiency using advanced simulation tools.

The doctoral researcher will be supervised by Dan Kilper and will collaborate with an international, multidisciplinary research team. The position includes international secondments of three months at Delft University of Technology and three months at British Telecommunications, providing exposure to leading academic and industrial research environments.

Full details of the position, eligibility criteria, and the application process are available via Trinity College Dublin, and applications must be submitted through the official TCD recruitment system.

Closing date : 13 Feb 2026 at noon

Find out more here

Open Call 

We often have new projects and opportunities, and we are always looking for talented and motivated postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates to join our team. If you have a background in optical communications, photonics, or AI-driven network technologies, we encourage you to reach out. For more information, please contact padirector@connectcentre.ie.