Postdoctoral Fellow – SAPPHIRE Project: Resilient Cooperative PNT from LEO Satellite Constellations

École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is a fast-growing engineering and technology university located in downtown Montreal. ÉTS offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs focused on applied engineering, supported by cutting-edge research infrastructure and a collaborative, inclusive research environment.

ÉTS is home to LASSENA, a world-renowned laboratory in satellite navigation, signal processing, software-defined radio (SDR), and cybersecurity of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems. As part of the SAPPHIRE partnership research project (Satellite Advanced Positioning and Protection with High Integrity Reconfigurable Environment) led by Prof. René Jr. Landry, we are seeking a postdoctoral fellow, in partnership with MDA Space and Safran Trusted 4D.

SAPPHIRE aims to develop and demonstrate new PNT capabilities integrated into the communication payload of MDA Space’s Aurora Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, while optimizing communication link performance. The project will unify broadband DVB-S2X and Direct-to-Device (D2D) links into a single cooperative PNT architecture that is backward compatible, interoperable with 5G/6G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), and able to operate without GNSS. It will also contribute to the design of a sovereign Canadian emergency and disaster management system. The work will rely on Safran Trusted 4D constellation simulators, SDR testbeds, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation to advance the technologies to TRL 5.

Within a multidisciplinary team of students, research professionals, and engineers from MDA Space and Safran Trusted 4D, you will act as a scientific anchor for the project. Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing timing-enhanced DVB-S2X waveforms for time transfer and navigation, as well as 5G-NTN-compatible D2D data frames embedding synchronization markers.

• Developing multi-source positioning and timing algorithms (Doppler, ToA, TDoA, FDoA, PDoA), including Doppler compensation, oscillator drift modelling, and Kalman filtering.

• Contributing to the design of a hybrid multi-protocol SDR receiver (DVB-S2X, D2D, and legacy frames) and its validation in the lab and under representative conditions.

• Defining PNT-specific Quality-of-Service (QoS) frameworks (latency, accuracy, continuity, integrity) and AI-driven resilience mechanisms against jamming and spoofing.

• Contributing to 5G/6G-NTN interoperability work and to emergency-management scenarios (GNSS-free navigation, passive radar, spectrum anomaly detection).

• Coordinating activities across work packages, mentoring students (interns, master’s, PhD), preparing publications and technical reviews with the partners, and guiding TRL transitions.

Desired Profile

• Ph.D. (within the last 5 years) in electrical engineering, telecommunications, aerospace engineering, or a related field (satellite communications, navigation, signal processing).

• Strong background in at least two of the following: satellite navigation signal processing (GNSS or LEO-PNT), digital communications physical layer (synchronization, modulation and coding, channel estimation), time transfer and clock synchronization, estimation and multi-source fusion.

• Proven hands-on experience with software-defined radio platforms (SDR, e.g., USRP, GNU Radio) and experimental lab validation.

• Proficiency in programming (Python, MATLAB/Simulink, C/C++); experience with FPGA or real-time embedded systems is an asset.

• Publication record demonstrating research independence, and experience in scientific collaboration (conferences, industrial partners).

• Ability to coordinate research activities and mentor students.

• Fluent in French (intermediate or advanced); English proficiency is an asset.

• Strong analytical, communication, and scientific writing skills; collaborative mindset.

• Familiarity with DVB-S2X (ETSI EN 302 307), 3GPP NTN (Release 17 and beyond), or timing standards (IEEE 1588/PTP) — strong asset.

• Experience with satellite constellation and signal simulators (e.g., Safran Skydel), orbit modelling (SGP4), or machine learning applied to spectrum (TensorFlow, PyTorch) — strong asset.

Expertise Areas of Interest

• Positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) from LEO satellite constellations.

• Waveform and frame design (DVB-S2X, D2D, 5G-NR NTN) for communication-navigation convergence.

• Synchronization, time transfer, and Doppler compensation in highly dynamic LEO environments.

• Hybrid SDR receivers and hardware-in-the-loop validation.

• Quality of service, integrity, and resilience against jamming and spoofing.

• Cognitive spectrum monitoring, machine learning, and passive radar.

• GNSS-free navigation for autonomous platforms (UAV, UGV, USV) and emergency services.

Full-time, 4-year position starting as soon as possible. The contract is renewed yearly depending on performance and available funding.

Submit:

• A cover letter

• A detailed CV

• Recent scientific publications (satellite navigation, satellite communications, signal processing, SDR, AI)

Depending on the nature of the research activities and collaborations with industrial partners, the successful candidate may be required to meet specific access, security, or reliability requirements to work at partner facilities.

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In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, ÉTS encourages all qualified applicants to apply. However, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Please clearly indicate your ability to work in Canada in your application.

Based on your status, the start date may be postponed without affecting the duration of the contract. Any further changes will be subject to approval by the supervisor.