Joint Communications and Sensing PhD: Making Wireless Networks Sense Their Surroundings

Joint Communications and Sensing PhD: Making Wireless Networks Sense Their Surroundings

Quick Decision

This full-time Bangor studentship asks whether communication infrastructure can also provide useful environmental measurements. It may suit applicants with a relevant physical-science, engineering or technology background and experience in communications, signal processing, networks, circuit design or programming. The advertised work may be theoretical and/or experimental; the initial appointment is three years, with a £21,805 stipend at the 2026/27 UKRI rate and a stated full tuition-fee waiver. The deadline is 24 November 2026, with no cutoff time stated; any extension depends on future funding.

The fit depends on what the funded work package turns out to be. The call does not name a sensing target, RF or optical architecture, milestone, or balance of theory and experiment; it also does not map the three Centre funding sources to this post. The “full tuition fee waiver” wording leaves international-fee and bench-fee coverage open. Before tailoring an application, ask Professor Jianming Tang or the School for the work-package outline, application checklist, expected start date and written fee terms.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

Joint or integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) asks whether a system can use communication signals, spectrum, hardware or network infrastructure to deliver both data transfer and sensing. Reusing resources can create new capabilities, but it also brings design choices: a waveform or receiver optimized for reliable communication may not provide the resolution, detection probability or robustness desired for sensing. ISAC appears in the ITU-R framework for IMT-2030, while 3GPP's Release 19 work item remains a study under change control. These are signs of active standardization and research, not a confirmed deployment timetable or specification for this PhD (ITU-R M.2160-0; 3GPP TR 22.837).

The project description uses the broad title “Joint Communications and Sensing” and says the student will undertake theoretical and/or experimental research within funded projects. It does not identify whether the assigned system is radio-frequency, optical or cross-domain; what physical quantity or environment is to be sensed; which communication signal is involved; or what performance measures will be used. Nor does it specify a named algorithm, dataset, instrument, application or baseline. The work may therefore differ substantially depending on which of the Centre's funded projects supports the appointment. The Centre's wider research portfolio and related publications help explain the environment but cannot resolve the student's actual assignment.

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The stated doctoral responsibilities are broader than a single experiment. They include theoretical and/or experimental research in a funded project; publication in journals and conferences; presenting at workshops, project meetings and professional events; operating and maintaining laboratory equipment; helping develop research proposals; supporting undergraduate project activities; and taking part in professional development. The description does not say how time is divided among these activities or whether the research will be primarily analytical, simulation-based, hardware-based or collaborative.

Possible questions in the field include how to obtain a useful sensing observable from a signal carrying data, how communication and sensing performance should be balanced, and how a joint system behaves under changing channels, interference or hardware limitations. These are examples for discussion, not advertised tasks. Applicants should ask for the funded work package and evaluation plan rather than assume that this PhD will use a particular waveform, machine-learning model, fibre link, radar band or testbed.

Recent work shows why several paths are technically plausible. A Bangor co-authored 2025 ECOC paper demonstrates vibration sensing by tracking polarization information in equalizer tap weights of a simplified coherent passive optical network, alongside 100 Gb/s per wavelength transmission. It is a local example of a communication receiver yielding a sensing measurement, but remains a specific laboratory demonstration (paper). A separate 2025 Bangor experiment studies a converged fibre-wireless access link over 25 km of fibre and a 5 m, 38 GHz wireless segment; it demonstrates cross-medium transmission capability, not sensing (paper). A 2026 Bangor paper combines amplitude-analytic features and multitask learning to identify optical modulation formats and monitor optical signal-to-noise ratio, including simulations up to 128QAM. This is signal monitoring rather than sensing an external object (paper).

The broader field includes other architectures. A 2024 wireless study formulates constellation design as a trade-off between communication measures and sensing sidelobe/detection performance (IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications paper). An independent 2025 optical experiment reports simultaneous data transmission and distributed vibration sensing over 19.8 km of fibre, with 3.01 Gbit/s net data rate and 1 m spatial resolution (Optics Express paper). These papers illustrate options and constraints; their results cannot be treated as this student's promised system or performance target.

School, Programme and Field Context

Bangor University is the named institution, and its Digital Signal Processing Centre is part of the School of Computer Science and Engineering (School; DSP Centre). The College of Science and Engineering reports that 80% of Bangor's Engineering research submitted to REF 2021 received 4-star or 3-star quality ratings. The REF results give the Engineering unit as 27% 4-star and 53% 3-star. This is useful subject-area evidence, but it covers Engineering as a whole rather than this Centre, its communications group or this particular PhD (College summary; REF 2021 results). QS lists Bangor equal 567th in the 2027 overall World University Rankings; this is institutional context, not a subject ranking or project-quality rating (QS profile).

Bangor describes a full-time PhD as typically three years and offers research-skills and transferable-skills development (prospective research candidates). Its postgraduate research regulations set formal time limits and procedures, but the project's three-year initial funding appointment is not automatically identical to registration duration or an extension entitlement (PGR regulations). The project description names Bangor as the institution and gives no joint-degree or second awarding institution. The formal registering and degree-awarding arrangement, start date, milestones and training schedule should be confirmed in the offer and programme documents.

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Supervisor Research Directions

Bangor's profile identifies Professor Jianming Tang as a Professor in Optical Communications. His listed project areas include high-speed optical transmission, optical access networks, digital signal processing, wired/wireless network convergence and ultrafast optical-device dynamics. The profile also lists Professor Tang as an informal-discussion contact for this studentship; it does not establish that he will be the sole supervisor or describe the wider supervisory team (staff profile).

Recent Important Publications

The three recent Bangor papers discussed above show complementary capabilities: a receiver-based vibration-sensing demonstration, experimental fibre-wireless networking, and DSP/ML-based monitoring of optical communication signals. Taken together, they offer a credible nearby research context for the broad topic while leaving the advertised PhD's direction open. A fourth 2025 co-authored study experimentally combines fibre, free-space optics and millimetre-wave links for dense 6G network scenarios, illustrating multi-medium communications integration (JOCN paper). It does not identify the work package of this studentship.

Lab, Resources, and Collaboration Environment

The DSP Centre describes work spanning optical and wireless communications, sensing with data-carrying signals, fibre-optic sensing, digital signal processing and industry collaboration. The Centre webpage also contains equipment and capability descriptions with dates around 2024. These establish an advertised research environment, not proof that every listed instrument remains installed, available or allocated to this student. Ask for the current equipment inventory, relevant datasets and software, access arrangements, partner roles and expected lab-maintenance duties. The project description does not name an industrial partner or a placement scheme for this particular appointment.

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The project description states a £21,805 annual stipend at the 2026/27 UKRI rate, full tuition fee waiver, full-time study and a three-year initial appointment. An extension is possible only subject to future funding. The expected start is “as soon as possible”. The stated closing date is 24 November 2026, with no time or time zone given. It also states that offers depend on proof of eligibility to work in the UK and satisfactory references. Candidates should confirm the date, start and vacancy-specific application process directly with the School.

The stipend matches UKRI's 2026/27 minimum full-time rate of £21,805. UKRI lists a £5,238 home-fee contribution for that year and says overseas students may need to pay a difference; Bangor lists £21,000 per year for relevant international PGR subjects (Computer Sciences and Electronic Engineering) in 2026 and 2027 entry, including a £2,000 bench fee (UKRI student support; UKRI training-grant guidance; Bangor international fees). The advertisement's full-waiver wording may cover those costs, but does not spell out the fee category, international differential, bench component or coverage duration. It would be premature either to assume a shortfall or to treat those details as settled. Ask Bangor for written confirmation covering every funded year. UKRI also says visa and Immigration Health Surcharge costs are not funded for UKRI-funded students; whether any separate project funds assist with these costs is not stated.

Bangor lists university hall rooms at £99–£195 a week and studios at £195–£245 a week, with utility bills and internet included in the stated rent (cost-of-living guide; example 2026/27 room). At 52 weeks divided into 12 months, £99–£245 a week is approximately £429–£1,062 a month. The stipend equates to about £1,817 a month; after that rent range, roughly £756–£1,388 would remain before food, transport, phone and personal expenses. This is a rent-only illustration, not a full budget, and actual contract lengths and room availability vary.

International applicants should not rely only on the broad statement that some non-UK/EU candidates may need ATAS. Official guidance says whether ATAS applies depends on the research subject/CAH code and nationality exemptions; ask the School for the code and a candidate-specific assessment (ATAS guidance; Immigration Rules Appendix ATAS). Bangor advises that funded research-degree application routes can vary by School, so general guidance should not be assumed to be this vacancy's checklist (research-programme applications; postgraduate application guidance).

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

The project description asks for a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant physical-science, engineering or technology discipline. It asks applicants to have knowledge or experience in one or more of optical, wireless or optical-wireless communications; joint communications and sensing; data networks; digital or analogue signal processing; mobile communications; high-speed digital circuit design; or computer programming. The stated essential skills include a strong relevant academic background, mathematical, analytical and experimental ability, independent and collaborative working, communication, enthusiasm for research and self-motivation.

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

Previous research experience, peer-reviewed publications and knowledge of 5G/6G are described as desirable, not as mandatory eligibility requirements. No programming language, specific communications modality, prior publication count or prior ISAC project is specified. As preparation rather than extra formal criteria, an applicant could present one clear example of quantitative analysis, DSP, network/circuit work, code or experimental measurement; explain their own contribution and how results were checked; and describe a plausible way to evaluate a system that both communicates and senses. A concise account of teamwork, technical writing and presenting may also address the advertised responsibilities. Bangor's general PGR process can involve a proposal and references, but the exact documents for this funded vacancy need confirmation from the School.

Research Field and Career Context

The research area sits across communications engineering, DSP and sensing. Wireless ISAC has standards activity and waveform co-design questions; optical systems provide alternative routes through coherent receivers, fibre sensing and converged access networks. These routes use different hardware, signal models and performance measures, so it is important to establish which one this funded project follows before judging the technical fit.

UK Government's Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan estimates that advanced-connectivity-technology companies employed around 109,400 people in the UK in 2025 and projects a possible 30,000 engineering shortfall over the next decade. It identifies skills including RF planning, fibre/optical-network design, spectrum awareness, telecoms security and network integration (Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan). Ofcom reported that full fibre reached 82% of UK residential premises by January 2026, with 5G and 5G standalone coverage continuing to expand (Connected Nations Spring 2026). These data point to ongoing network deployment and broad adjacent capabilities, not a guaranteed vacancy, salary, placement or employment outcome for this PhD. Plausible pathways may include optical communications/photonics R&D, telecoms and access-network engineering, DSP and link testing, network integration, or academic research.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

• Which of the two EPSRC projects or the Flintshire & Wrexham Research and Innovation Programme funds this post? Can the School share a short work-package outline?
• Is the work radio-frequency, optical or cross-domain? What is the sensing target, communication system, evaluation metric and expected theory/experiment balance?
• What is the vacancy-specific application portal, document checklist, reference format and proposal requirement? What is the exact cutoff time and time zone on 24 November 2026?
• What start date is intended, and when would formal registration and stipend payments begin?
• What CAH3 code applies for ATAS, and how will the School confirm whether a candidate's nationality is exempt?

At Interview

• Who will supervise day to day, how are the named grants and external partners involved, and how often are progress reviews held?
• Which current instruments, software, datasets and lab facilities will the student use? What share of time is expected for equipment operation/maintenance and undergraduate support?
• What technical milestones, publication expectations and training activities are planned during the three-year initial period?

Before Accepting an Offer

• Does the fee waiver cover the candidate's full fee classification in every funded year, including the international differential and any bench fee?
• What are the written stipend/fee award dates and funded end date? How does this relate to the PhD registration period, and what conditions would govern any extension?
• Are visa or Immigration Health Surcharge costs supported by any non-UKRI funding, if applicable?

Evidence and Sources

University, School, Supervisor and PGR Environment

• Bangor School of Computer Science and Engineering
• Bangor College of Science and Engineering
• Bangor Digital Signal Processing Centre
• Bangor REF 2021 results
• QS World University Rankings: Bangor profile
• Professor Jianming Tang: Bangor profile and publications
• Information for prospective research candidates
• Bangor postgraduate research regulations

Research and Technical Context

• ITU-R M.2160-0: IMT framework for 2030 and beyond
• 3GPP TR 22.837: Study on Integrated Sensing and Communication
• Constellation design for ISAC with random waveforms, IEEE TWC (2024)
• Polarization-based sensing in coherent PONs, ECOC (2025)
• Experimental converged fibre-wireless access network, Optics Express (2025)
• Modulation identification and OSNR monitoring, Photonics (2026)
• Fibre-FSO-mmWave networks for 6G, JOCN (2025)
• Data transmission with distributed fibre vibration sensing, Optics Express (2025)

Applications, Funding, Fees and Living Costs

• How to apply for a Bangor research programme
• Bangor postgraduate application guidance
• Bangor international postgraduate research fees
• UKRI support for funded students
• UKRI training-grant guidance and 2026/27 rate
• Bangor cost-of-living guide
• St Mary's Village room example for 2026/27
• Academic Technology Approval Scheme guidance
• Immigration Rules Appendix ATAS

Career and Connectivity Context

• UK Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan
• Ofcom Connected Nations update: Spring 2026