PhD position in All-GaN-based integrated circuit design for Point-of-Load voltage regulator for space applications

Department of electronics and information systems

Organisation/Company Universiteit Gent Department Department of electronics and information systems Research Field Engineering » Electronic engineering Engineering » Electrical engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 15 Dec 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101312786 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

BESCAPE ("Boosting Europe’s Space Competitiveness through Advanced Power Electronics") is a Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network Joint Doctorate (DN-JD) initiative developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and leading European space companies.The project will officially start on 1 January 2027.

The project addresses emerging challenges in power conversion, advanced control, and power distribution systems for future human space exploration missions.

BESCAPE brings together a highly international consortium comprising 11 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) distributed across leading European universities and research institutions. The academic beneficiaries include Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM, Spain), Universiteit Twente (UT, The Netherlands), Universidad de Oviedo (UNIOVI, Spain), KU Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium), Université de Mons (UMONS, Belgium), Ghent University (UGent, Belgium), Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD, Italy), and Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH, Spain). These academic partners collaborate closely with space-sector stakeholders, including the European Space Agency (ESA, The Netherlands), Leonardo S.p.A. (Leonardo, Italy), IMEC (Belgium), Thales Alenia Space Belgium (TAS-B, Belgium), OHB System AG (OHB, Germany), and CRISA-AIRBUS (Spain), creating a unique research and training environment that combines academic excellence with industrial and space-sector expertise.
The Ghent University offers one fully funded PhD position “All-GaN-based integrated circuits for Point of Load (PoL) voltage regulator for space applications” (DC6) within this international research network, providing the opportunity to work closely with leading academic experts, and industrial partners (IMEC) while contributing to technologies for future space missions.

Estimated start date:
Between May and October of 2027

Duration: 48 months: Initial 12-month appointment, in principle extended for a further 36 months following a positive evaluation; maximum total duration: 48 months.

Supervisors from Ghent University (Belgium) and University of Oviedo

Research Objective: To study and develop a GaN-IC using one of IMEC’s low-voltage technologies, integrating a stand-alone point-of-load (PoL) voltage regulator for space applications. We aim to explore high-level integration (Level 4) to enable efficient and intelligent systems. Level 4 integration involves monolithic implementation of closed-loop control, including key circuit blocks: a reference voltage generator, error amplifier, comparator, sawtooth generator, and on-chip local supply voltage generator. The research will also address converter health monitoring and protection, including temperature monitoring, short-circuit detection, and on-chip redundancy for critical circuit blocks, with the aim of preventing catastrophic failures in satellite applications.

Secondments:
IMEC (for 3 months): to study system-level requirements and reliability considerations and gain experience with IC simulation and layout tools.
UNIOVI (for 6 months): to design the magnetic and capacitive passive components of the PoL regulator and complete doctoral coursework required for the joint degree.

Requirements

Research Field Engineering » Electronic engineering Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• You hold a master’s degree in electronic engineering, electrical engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• You have a solid background in electronic systems and circuit design, with a good understanding of analogue electronics and the design and operation of electronic circuits.
• You have good knowledge of power electronics and power-converter topologies, including the principles of DC-DC conversion, switching converters, and their control.
• You have good understanding of semiconductor devices and their application in electronic and power-conversion circuits.
• You have experience with circuit modelling and simulation and are familiar with relevant simulation and programming environments, such as SPICE, MATLAB/Simulink, or Python.
• Experience in analogue and/or mixed-signal IC design is a strong asset