Doctoral Student

A fully funded 3-year Ph.D. position in Network Orchestration for Metaverse Applications in 6G Networks within the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Pisa (Italy) is sponsored by the Ubiquitous Internet (UI) research group of IIT-CNR. We are looking for a highly motivated Ph.D. candidate with a strong academic background to join our research team and work on this Ph.D. topic under our supervision.

This scouting notice aims to raise awareness of the upcoming Ph.D. admission call that will be officially opened by the University of Pisa in June.

Interested candidates should send the following documents in a single PDF file:

• A detailed CV
• A list of publications (if any), or a summary of relevant research experience
• Transcripts (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees)

Start of the Ph.D. program: November 1st, 2025.

Workplace: Pisa, Italy

For any questions, please contact Raffaele Bruno,

Background

Emerging cross-reality (XR) applications, which enables interaction and collaboration among users in a virtual environment, are characterised by unprecedented requirements for Quality of Experience (QoE), largely exceeding those attainable in the current networks . Many relevant enabling technologies, including future 6G communication services, AI, edge computing, real-time rendering - promise to tackle such QoE requirements offering Metaverse services with exceptional reliability in dynamic and complex network environments. However, as system complexity escalates, it is pivotal to design orchestration methods to jointly optimize communication, networking and computation resources proactively and adaptively throughout the entire end-to-end network architecture in alignment with the target KPIs.

Topic description

The research challenges addressed by this PhD include (but are not limited to) the design of:

• new AI/ML models and optimisation solutions for network orchestrators and controllers in future 6G networks to provide deterministic performance to Metaverse services over heterogeneous domains and complex network scenarios, also without a globally synchronised system;
• novel solutions for in-network computing to reduce latency in Metaverse services by optimizing the placement of rendering tasks among end-user devices, servers and the network;

Candidate profile

The candidate must have (or be about to obtain) a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, or a closely related field. An excellent academic record is required, with outstanding marks in subjects such as networking, optimization, and artificial intelligence.

Technical Skills

The following skills are an advantage for the candidate:

• Proficiency in programming (Python, C++, or similar languages). Experience with real-time tools for 3D, AR, and VR development is preferable but not required.
• Understanding of real-time communications and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for immersive applications.
• Knowledge of general networking principles and NFV (Network Function Virtualization).
• Experience or familiarity with ML/AI techniques applied to networking.