MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 - ISS Lab - University of Bologna - Intelligent sensor system[...]

About the Position

The Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems (ARCES) of the University of Bologna (UNIBO) invites ambitious postdoctoral researchers to apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025.

The proposed MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship project aims to accelerate the development of intelligent sensor systems for industrial and environmental monitoring applications through the development of cutting‑edge innovations at different abstraction layers, including:

• sensing technologies (Topic #1): design of piezoelectric meta‑transducers (1), i.e., devices capable of implementing advanced functionalities such as mode‑selection, pre‑filtering or beamforming of ultrasonic signals.
• advanced data analytics tools (Topic #2): exploitation of advanced embedded systems and computing architectures (2) to push the boundaries of current signal processing algorithms in terms of energy efficiency and accelerate them on resource‑constrained platforms for structural health monitoring applications.

Specifically, the objectives are to:

• Design and validate novel programmable meta‑transducers (Topic #1)
• Develop, train, and validate effective methodologies for structural health monitoring (SHM) based on advanced computing systems (Topic #2)
• Prototyping low‑power, small footprint and autonomous SHM systems, featuring scalable and energy‑efficient architectures suitable for artificial intelligence at the extreme edge

Candidate profile

• PhD degree in Electrical, Electronic, Information Engineering, or related fields
• PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related fields
• Strong expertise in signal processing, Machine Learning and/or wave propagation and numerical modelling

The Intelligent Sensor Systems (ISS Lab) led by Prof. Luca De Marchi is a laboratory that combines knowledge in Ultrasonics, Piezoelectric Transducers, Signal Processing, Micro‑electro‑mechanical‑systems, Embedded Systems, and Sensor networks to design advanced materials, devices, and techniques for structural health monitoring and wave propagation control.

To pursue this objective, it fosters a highly collaborative, international, and multidisciplinary research environment with strong partnership with the Smart Materials and Structural Health Monitoring group led by Prof. Alessandro Marzani and Prof. Antonio Palermo, and in collaboration with industries (e.g., ENI, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, NXP, STMicroelectronics) and international research groups (ETH Zurich, University College of Dublin, CEA Paris).

ISS Members benefit from regular training sessions, workshops, international conference participation, and publication support, providing an excellent foundation for career development.

Available facilities

• State‑of‑the‑art instrumentation for printed circuit board realization, re‑work and testing
• Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer for the analysis of elastic wave propagation and characterization, both in static and dynamic conditions
• Various technical facilities and testbeds

Host institution – DEI + ARCES @ UNIBO

UNIBO is one of the largest and most active Italian universities in research and technology transfer in Italy. UNIBO is 1st Italian University and ranks 11th worldwide in the GreenMetric ranking in 2022. This project will be hosted by ARCES, an infrastructure for interdisciplinary research in the areas of electronic device modeling, nanosystems, microsystems and ICT. The research center hosts joined design labs and cooperates with industries, ranging from startups to leading semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. The Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering (DEI), which has been awarded as Excellent department by the Italian ministry of Education, comprises more than 120 scientists (professors, experienced and early‑stage researchers), whose research and education activities cover manifold areas of the ICT research field, such as Systems and Control Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Measurements, Electromagnetic Fields, Electronics, Information Processing Systems, Telecommunications.

Selected candidates will be offered academic and administrative support from the Excellence Science (ES) office of the University of Bologna during the proposal preparation.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must be eligible according to the criteria established by the 2026 MSCA Postdoctoral fellowship call:

• To have a PhD by the call deadline (September 9, 2026)
• To have up to 8 years of research experience after PhD
• To be citizens of an EU State or of an Associated Country
• Not to have resided or carried out their main activity in Italy for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline (September 10, 2025)
• Besides, candidates should be fluent in English, should have an excellent teamwork attitude, organizational skills, and the ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment.

Selection process

How to apply for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with ISS

The Expression of Interest should include the following documents:

• A detailed CV, including publications and research experience, qualifications and achievements
• A 1-page research proposal aligned with our group focus areas for MSCA-2025-PF call, specifying the Topic (#1 or #2) of your interest

If your application is selected by the supervisors at ARCES, then the next step would be to apply jointly for the MSCA PF call 2025, with the deadline on 9 September :00 CEST.

References

(1) De Marchi, L. (2024). The blossoming of Ultrasonic Meta‑Transducers. IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control.

(2) Zonzini, F., et al. (2024). Compression–Accuracy Co‑Optimization Through Hardware‑Aware Neural Architecture Search for Vibration Damage Detection. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics.