Host institution: Aalborg University (AAU), Copenhagen 🇩🇰
Supervisors: Prof. Reza Tadayoni (AAU) and Prof. Helle Sjøvaag (UiS)
Academic secondment: University of Stavanger (UiS) 🇳🇴
Industrial secondment: European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Geneva 🇨ðŸ‡
PhD duration: 3 years
This PhD project is titled: Object oriented edge-casting using semantic encoding and is part of WP5 Digital infrastructure.
Media distribution is undergoing radical transformations from dedicated infrastructures (e.g. DAB, FM and DVB-T) to IP based distribution infrastructures, and heterogeneous networks and storage environments based on Cloud based services, CDNs and Edge Computing. This complex chain of delivery has negative implications for the robustness needed for delivery of media content e.g. in events of crisis and emergency.
On the other side, there is a high degree of synergy and convergence between the dedicated media platforms, including over-the-top and the ongoing development of 5G and 6G. With new network structures, also conditions for content creation changes; it can be assembled ‘on the fly’ allowing for a highly granular and personalised media experience, as formulated in SMPTE ST 2110 suite of standards for video, audio and data over IP. This research asses the implications for public interest media of these fundamental changes and the implications for the robustness of the media infrastructure.
The position addresses the implications for the robustness of media delivery infrastructures in the shift from the robust architecture of radio-TV transmitters and receivers to the far more complex and fragile structure of ‘over-the-top’ (IP-based) media delivery.
The project will model optimal architectures of IP based media for efficient utilization of the underlying resources while securing robustness in delivery.
The position requires relocation to Denmark as the candidate will be enrolled in the PhD programme of Aalborg University. The project is conducted under the supervision of Reza Tadayoni, Associate Professor at Aalborg University, and Helle Sjøvaag, Professor at the University of Stavanger. It will involve close collaboration with other Doctoral Candidates in the RePIM doctoral Network Project, and an academic secondment of approximately 2 months at the University of Stavanger in Norway. The candidate will also carry out 3-month internship at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva.
The PhD position is part of RePIM – Revisioning Public Interest Media, a four-year Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Doctoral Network dedicated to reimagining the role and future of Public Interest Media in a data-driven, platform-dominated environment. RePIM brings together leading European universities, industry partners, and 12 Doctoral Candidates in an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral training and research programme. The network investigates how Public Interest Media can remain relevant, sustainable, and impactful by transforming how content is produced, packaged, distributed, and supported organisationally and technologically. Through its focus on strategic innovation, organisational change, and media management, RePIM equips its doctoral researchers with advanced analytical and managerial skills to help reshape Public Interest Media across diverse European contexts.3. Profile
MSCA eligibility requirements
- At the time of recruitment, candidates must not already hold a doctoral degree.
- Applicants of any nationality are welcome to apply. However, researchers must not have lived or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host country (in this case: Denmark) for more than 12 months within the 36 months immediately preceding their recruitment date. Candidates must be willing to move to Denmark for the duration of the PhD research.
Project-specific profile requirements
- A Master’s degree in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) or media sciences. A master’s degree of 120 ECTS points is an official requirement for enrolment as PhD at Aalborg University.
- Candidates with background in media science must document expertise and interest in technology research related to communication and media infrastructures. Â Â
- Willingness to engage in international mobility in line with the MSCA-DN framework (meetings, training sessions, research stays and industry stays, etc.).
Requirements for competence in English
Applicants who are planning to complete a doctoral thesis in English and who do not have English as a first language or who have not completed an English language-based Master’s programme (or an equivalent educational achievement in English) shall provide documentation that they have passed one of the following official tests with the respective minimum score: IELTS (band score): 7, TOEFL (paper-based): 600, TOEFL (internet-based): 100. The language test must be no more than five years old at the time of the application.
English skills may also be documented in the following manner:
1) An English taught qualifying upper secondary school diploma, Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK or Ireland.
2) A Nordic or German upper secondary school diploma, International Baccalaureate (from the IB diploma programme) or European Baccalaureate (from Schola Europaea) with an English level equivalent to a Danish B level in English with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (Danish grade scale).
3) A Danish Upper secondary school diploma – ‘English level B’ or 4) a Danish Upper secondary school diploma – ‘English level A’.