PhD position in network inference at 100 Gbps

Networks Data Science Group

Deadline for receipt of applications: September 14th, 2024 23:59 AoE (15 September 2024, 13:59h Europe/Madrid Time)

The Networks Data Science group (http://nds.networks.imdea.org/) at IMDEA Networks Institute has an opening for one PhD student in the area of network intelligence. The successful candidate will design original solutions for the integration of inference models in programmable user planes composed of programmable switches, smart network interface cards (smartNICs), and network processing units (NPUs). The PhD studies will build upon and substantially improve recent and promising research by the NDS group [1] and the international community [2-4], with the goal to turn the transport domain of the network into an effective traffic processor capable of performing tasks like traffic flow classification, anomaly identification or intrusion detection at 100 Gbps. The candidate will implement and evaluate the solutions in a state-of-the-art experimental platform including a variety of programmable user-plane equipment, so as to demonstrate viability and performance in industry-grade environments.

The position offers:

•  hands-on training in network programming via the P4 language
•  hands-on training in AI/ML design and integration in programmable user planes
•  an opportunity to work with production-grade experimental platforms
•  a vibrant, collaborative, multi-cultural and English-speaking environment
•  the prospect to publish at top-tier venues in networking
•  an advantageous path to a successful career in industry or academia [5]
•  the high quality of life of the region of Madrid, Spain, where we are based.

The position requires:

•  a degree in Computer Science or related field, with a solid academic record
•  excellent programming skills
•  a strong interest in applied AI/ML and systems (prior experience is a plus)
•  fluency in written and spoken English
•  enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research.

Inquiries on the position can be directed to the thesis supervisor, Dr. Marco Fiore, via email at marco.fiore@imdea.org.

Candidates shall submit by the call deadline a CV, a motivation letter, and the contact details of two references through the IMDEA Networks Institute hiring portal, at https://careers.networks.imdea.org/.

[1] A.T.-J. Akem, M. Gucciardo, M. Fiore, Flowrest: Practical Flow-Level Inference in Programmable Switches with Random Forests, IEEE INFOCOM 2023

[2] C. Zheng, M. Zang, X. Hong, R. Bensoussane, S. Vargaftik, Y. Ben-Itzhak, Zilberman, Automating in-network machine learning, arXiv, 2022

[3] G. Xie, Q. Li, Y. Dong, G. Duan, Y. Jiang, J. Duan, Mousika: Enable general in-network intelligence in programmable switches by knowledge distillation, IEEE INFOCOM 2022

[4] G. Zhou, Z. Liu, C. Fu, Q. Li, K. Xu, An efficient design of intelligent network data plane, USENIX Security 2023

[5] https://networks.imdea.org/team/imdea-networks-team/alumni-network/

Equal Employment Opportunity

IMDEA Networks Institute aims to increase the proportion of women and therefore qualified female applicants are explicitly encouraged to apply. Until a balanced ratio of men and women has been achieved at the institute, preference will be given to women if applicants have similar qualifications. IMDEA Networks Institute actively promotes diversity and equal opportunities. Applicants are not to be discriminated against in personnel selection procedures on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion or ideology, age, sexual orientation (anti-discrimination). People with disabilities who have the relevant qualifications are expressly invited to apply.

This position can be co-financed by project “ORIGAMI: Optimized resource integration and global architecture for mobile infrastructure for 6G” cofunded by the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101139271.

This position can be co-financed by the project “AEON-ZERO: Inteligencia de red para orquestación sin intervención y detección de anomalías ” (reference TSI-063000-2021-52), funded by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Civil Service and the European Union-NextGenerationEU through the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), awarded in the call for funding UNICO 5G I+D.