{"id":3677388,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks","title":"PhD Studentship: Distributed Machine Learning over Mobile Networks","company":{"id":450178,"name":"Cranfield Aerospace Solutions Ltd.","domain":"cranfield.ac.uk","url":"https://alion.io/company/cranfield","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":null,"truth_index":null},"role":"Early Careers","role_family":"Early Careers","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":21805,"max":null,"currency":"GBP","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":29252},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":null,"last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z","board_verified":false,"closed_at":null,"days_open":3,"trust":{"level":"not_scored","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":3},"description":"This is a project focused on how AI will provide a seamless service to mobile users of tomorrow. It is expected the student will have a background in AI with a curiosity on wireless networking.\n\nMachine learning that occurs over a distributed network is attractive to reduce latency, ensure data and compute is sovereignly hosted, and utilise available edge computation resources. There are many challenges when the demand is spatially and temporally mobile, and when the inference is computationally heavy. This PhD studentship will advance the research in AI on Radio Access Networks (AI-on-RAN) by exploring how to optimise distributed and mobile inference of large language models by adapting how tokens, memory, and network bandwidth is used in real time.\n\nThe outcomes are expected to shape how future AI algorithms are designed, as well as how future computation and communication resources are invested in 6G telecommunication networks.\n\nThere is both university-based and wider FTH ecosystem training with other PhD students from other universities across UK. The experience gained is not only cross-disciplinary (AI and telecoms), but also there will be exposure to different stakeholders beyond these including defence, government, and infrastructure.\n\nSupervisor\n\n1st Supervisor: Prof. Weisi Guo\n\n2nd Supervisor: Dr. Mengbang Zou \n\nAt a glance\n\nApplication deadline: 03 Feb 2027\n\nAward type(s): PhD\n\nStart date: 07 Jun 2027\n\nDuration of award: 3 years (full-time)\n\nEligibility: UK\n\nEntry requirements\n\nApplicants should have a first or second class UK honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline of computer science, statistics, or electronic / information engineering. This project would suit students with a fundamental curiosity to how foundation models work at the algorithmic level.\n\nWe will take an inclusive approach during your recruitment process and consider students from underrepresented groups and different social economic groups.\n\nFunding\n\nSponsored as part of the EPSRC Future Telecommunications Hubs (FTH) initiative and Cranfield University, this studentship will provide a bursary of up to £21,805 (tax free) plus fees for three years.\n\nEligibility for Home fee status is determined with reference to UK Department for Education rules. As a guiding principle UK or Irish nationals who are ordinarily resident in either the UK or Republic of Ireland pay Home tuition fees. All other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees. Further advice can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website.\n\nHow to apply\n\nFor further information please contact: \n\nName: Professor Weisi Guo\n Email: \n Phone: +44 1234 75 8304\n\nIf you are eligible to apply for this studentship, please complete the online application form.\n\nThis vacancy may be filled before the closing date so early application is strongly encouraged.\n\n Note, your application will not be considered unless all relevant documents have been uploaded. For more information, please visit Applying for a research degree.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3107,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"},{"name":"Ireland","iso":"IE","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Mobile Networks","Education","Higher Education","Continuing Education"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-03T11:42:00Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"GB","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"Licensed UK visa sponsor (Skilled Worker)","filings_12m":null,"filings_prev_12m":null,"green_card_filings_12m":null,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":"Skilled Worker","cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-05T06:29:30+00:00","sources":["UK Home Office: register of licensed sponsors (workers)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":3,"expected_fill_days":36,"reasons":["seen:3","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":29252,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/cranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/cranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-05T14:09:26Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":18256,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-06T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":450178},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=450178"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fcranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fcranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fcranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/cranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fcranfield-aerospace-solutions-ltd-phd-studentship-distributed-machine-learning-over-mobile-networks"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3677388}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"cranfield.ac.uk","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3677388},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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