Key Skills

hardwareHDLfault-injectionCNNreliability

Industry

AerospaceEnergy

Job Description

JOB
France
Nantes Université
Posted on: 18 November 2025

Postdoctoral position in embedded computing – LS2N (France)

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Job Information
Offer Description
Where to apply
Requirements
Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Contact

STATUS: EXPIRED

18 Nov 2025

Job Information

Organisation/Company

Nantes Université

Research Field

Computer science » Computer hardware

Computer science » Digital systems

Computer science » Systems design

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Positions

Postdoc Positions

Application Deadline

8 May 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)

Country

France

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37h15

Offer Starting Date

1 Sep 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Evaluation of the robustness of ML algorithms executed on a non-hardened accelerator through circuit-level fault-injection

The project addresses the challenges of deploying AI applications on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components in the space domain, a growing trend within the so-called new-space movement. While COTS technologies offer significant performance and cost advantages, they lack radiation hardening and are therefore highly susceptible to transient hardware faults (e.g., radiation-induced bit flips).

The goal is to explore fault tolerance co-design strategies (hardware and software) that ensure predictable timing, performance, and safety for AI workloads running on a new space platform. The project relies on the POMELOS platform [1] and the SPARROW accelerator [2], a specialized hardware accelerator designed for efficient CNN execution on ARM-based COTS processors.

The Recruited Researcher Will Focus On The Evaluation Of The Robustness Of ML Algorithms Executed On An ARM-based New Space Platform Integrating The SPARROW Accelerator Through Circuit-level Fault Injection. The Main Objectives Are:

Define a representative fault model for the SPARROW accelerator.
Develop methods to instrument the HDL code of SPARROW (e.g., with logic gates and multiplexers) to simulate transient faults, ideally through automated insertion.
Conduct fault injection campaigns on the target hardware platform to evaluate the impact of transient faults on CNN accuracy and robustness.
Propose new fault-tolerance co-design strategies to improve dependablity of new space systems

The results will help characterize how faults propagate through the system and distinguish between minor, tolerable faults and critical ones requiring mitigation.

[1] POMELOS SpaceTechDroneTech CPER platform, at http://beru.univ-brest.fr/pomelos

[2] Bonet, M. S., & Kosmidis, L. (2022, March). SPARROW: a low-cost hardware/software co-designed SIMD microarchitecture for AI operations in space processors. In 2022 Design, Automation & Test in Europe Conference & Exhibition (DATE) (pp. 1139-1142). IEEE.

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Requirements

Research Field Computer science » Computer hardware Education Level PhD or equivalent

Research Field Computer science » Digital systems Education Level PhD or equivalent

Research Field Computer science » Systems design Education Level PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Candidates must have obtained their PhD in computer science or electronics with a specialization in embedded systems or hardware design within the last three years.

Solid background in hardware design and verification (HDL: VHDL/Verilog, simulation tools).
Hands-on experience with FPGA prototyping or hardware/software co-design is highly desirable.
Good communication skills in English (required), as project meetings will be conducted in English.

Specific Requirements

Additional Assets (not Mandatory):

Knowledge of fault injection techniques or hardware reliability.
Understanding of hardware accelerators for AI and their operation.
Familiarity with machine learning workloads (e.g., CNNs).

As this is a research position, it is necessary to be able to work in a team, write state-of-the-art reports, and write scientific articles.

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Research Field Computer science » Computer hardware Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Research Field Computer science » Digital systems Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Research Field Computer science » Systems design Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Additional Information

Benefits

An unprecedented model in France combining a university, a university hospital (CHU de Nantes), a technological research institute (IRT Jules Verne), a national research organization (Inserm) and the Grandes Écoles (Centrale Nantes, École des Beaux-arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes)
Commitment to professional equality, diversity and inclusion and addressing gender-based and sexual violence
Membership in the EUniWell European Alliance committed to wellness
Certified HR Excellence in Research since 2022 as part of the HRS4R strategy
Transport subscription up to 75 % supported
Sustainable mobility package, in line with the institution’s commitment to sustainable development
Access to university restaurants with a preferential rate
Access to sports, university libraries and other activities on campus

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute LS2N Country France Geofield

Contact

City

NANTES

Website

http://WWW.UNIV-NANTES.FR

Street

1 QUAI DE TOURVILLE, BP 13522, 44035 NANTES CEDEX 01

STATUS: EXPIRED

Apply now

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Page contents

Job Information
Offer Description
Where to apply
Requirements
Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Contact

STATUS: EXPIRED

18 Nov 2025

Job Information

Organisation/Company

Nantes Université

Research Field

Computer science » Computer hardware

Computer science » Digital systems

Computer science » Systems design

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Positions

Postdoc Positions

Application Deadline

8 May 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)

Country

France

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37h15

Offer Starting Date

1 Sep 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Evaluation of the robustness of ML algorithms executed on a non-hardened accelerator through circuit-level fault-injection

The project addresses the challenges of deploying AI applications on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components in the space domain, a growing trend within the so-called new-space movement. While COTS technologies offer significant performance and cost advantages, they lack radiation hardening and are therefore highly susceptible to transient hardware faults (e.g., radiation-induced bit flips).

The goal is to explore fault tolerance co-design strategies (hardware and software) that ensure predictable timing, performance, and safety for AI workloads running on a new space platform. The project relies on the POMELOS platform [1] and the SPARROW accelerator [2], a specialized hardware accelerator designed for efficient CNN execution on ARM-based COTS processors.

The Recruited Researcher Will Focus On The Evaluation Of The Robustness Of ML Algorithms Executed On An ARM-based New Space Platform Integrating The SPARROW Accelerator Through Circuit-level Fault Injection. The Main Objectives Are:

Define a representative fault model for the SPARROW accelerator.
Develop methods to instrument the HDL code of SPARROW (e.g., with logic gates and multiplexers) to simulate transient faults, ideally through automated insertion.
Conduct fault injection campaigns on the target hardware platform to evaluate the impact of transient faults on CNN accuracy and robustness.
Propose new fault-tolerance co-design strategies to improve dependablity of new space systems

The results will help characterize how faults propagate through the system and distinguish between minor, tolerable faults and critical ones requiring mitigation.

[1] POMELOS SpaceTechDroneTech CPER platform, at http://beru.univ-brest.fr/pomelos

[2] Bonet, M. S., & Kosmidis, L. (2022, March). SPARROW: a low-cost hardware/software co-designed SIMD microarchitecture for AI operations in space processors. In 2022 Design, Automation & Test in Europe Conference & Exhibition (DATE) (pp. 1139-1142). IEEE.

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Requirements

Research Field Computer science » Computer hardware Education Level PhD or equivalent

Research Field Computer science » Digital systems Education Level PhD or equivalent

Research Field Computer science » Systems design Education Level PhD or equivalent

Additional Assets (not Mandatory):

Knowledge of fault injection techniques or hardware reliability.
Understanding of hardware accelerators for AI and their operation.
Familiarity with machine learning workloads (e.g., CNNs).

As this is a research position, it is necessary to be able to work in a team, write state-of-the-art reports, and write scientific articles.

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Research Field Computer science » Computer hardware Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Research Field Computer science » Digital systems Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Research Field Computer science » Systems design Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Additional Information

Benefits

An unprecedented model in France combining a university, a university hospital (CHU de Nantes), a technological research institute (IRT Jules Verne), a national research organization (Inserm) and the Grandes Écoles (Centrale Nantes, École des Beaux-arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes)
Commitment to professional equality, diversity and inclusion and addressing gender-based and sexual violence
Membership in the EUniWell European Alliance committed to wellness
Certified HR Excellence in Research since 2022 as part of the HRS4R strategy
Transport subscription up to 75 % supported
Sustainable mobility package, in line with the institution’s commitment to sustainable development
Access to university restaurants with a preferential rate
Access to sports, university libraries and other activities on campus

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute LS2N Country France Geofield

Contact

City

NANTES

Website

http://WWW.UNIV-NANTES.FR

Street

1 QUAI DE TOURVILLE, BP 13522, 44035 NANTES CEDEX 01

STATUS: EXPIRED

Apply now

Share this page