Information for Applicants to INSPIRE

General Information

INSPIRE is led by Prof. Aylin Yener. Members are primarily PhD students in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering or Integrated Systems Engineering, and postdoctoral associates.  Our group conducts cutting edge research on foundations of next generation wireless communications, information (cyber) security and privacy, sustainable communication and computation, machine learning and AI. Our graduates find excellent career paths of their choosing, including faculty positions in the US (examples: University of California Riverside, University of Detroit, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, Wichita State) and abroad (examples: Eindhoven, Zhejiang), sometimes following postdocs at top institutions (examples: Georgia Tech, USC), as well as leading industry and industry research positions (examples: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung). If you are graduate student or a postdoc applicant, or looking for a visiting position or an undergraduate looking to get research experience considering INSPIRE to be your research home please read the information below.

Autumn 2023: We have openings for PhD students! We have openings for PhD students in the following areas: 6G wireless physical layer and networking fundamentals, AI for wireless, fair machine learning, sustainable machine learning, security and privacy for information storage, distributed computation and retrieval. Please ensure to apply to the PhD program in ECE, CSE or ISE in accordance with your background and follow the instructions below.

PhD applicants

If you are already at OSU finishing your MS (or BS+MS) and wishing to stay on for PhD, the advice for MS applicants below applies to you as well. You might consider taking the PhD Qualifier exam, as having passed it is a good asset when you are trying to find an advisor if you don’t already have one.

If you are a new applicant for PhD considering INSPIRE as your research home:

Prof. Yener always welcomes qualified PhD applicants to her supervision. She typically has anywhere from one to four funded PhD positions available every year, so there is no need for you to e-mail Prof. Yener to inquire whether we have any openings prior to your application. However, you may reach out with an email providing your background and interest. Please note that we recruit from top institutions all over the world. In your contact email, it is important to provide key background information, i.e., what would make you an ideal PhD student in INSPIRE specifically in addition to at OSU in general. We may not be able to respond to individual emails, but be assured that we will read them, and evaluate your application should you choose to apply.

For us to be able to formally consider you for a PhD position under the supervision of Prof. Yener at INSPIRE, you first need to apply to the PhD program at one of the following three departments (where Prof. Yener has a professor appointment) at The Ohio State University: 1) Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2) Computer Science and Engineering or 3) Integrated Systems Engineering. If you have publications, you may wish to include copies of those or at least a resume listing them.

Important: If you would like to be considered for the PhD position under the supervision of Prof. Yener, you should indicate this in your statement of purpose (and explain why you wish to do your PhD dissertation research with Prof. Yener), so that your application folder is properly routed internally. Also make sure to include your e-mail address, as you may be contacted for a virtual interview if there is a potential to go forward towards bringing you into INSPIRE working with Prof. Yener as your academic advisor.

MS applicants

We have NO funded positions for MS students, and supervise MS theses only for exceptional students who have proven themselves outstanding. If you are already at Ohio State, and you would like to be a part of INSPIRE, a good way is to take 6000-level or above courses in the  area of communications and networking. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to do well in these courses that are core to fundamentals of next generation wireless communications and be prepared with the right background. You might also consider asking for a few research meetings or a trial period to demonstrate your abilities.

Undergraduate research applicants

We may have research positions available for outstanding DOMESTIC undergraduate students. These may be volunteer positions  or positions funded by the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in accordance with our current NSF supported projects. If you are interested in conducting research at INSPIRE in your senior year, you may contact Prof. Yener directly for details and your transcript. You would have to have a solid math background and a keen interest in next generation wireless communication systems, information theory or machine learning.

Postdoctoral applicants

Sometimes, we have openings for a postdoc. Such positions are likely funded by grants from NSF or DoD, are very competitive, and available to applicants primarily with background in information theory, machine learning, wireless communications and interest in fundamental problems. If such a position interests you, please contact Prof. Yener directly with your resume that includes the contact info of at least two references (one being your PhD advisor), and a brief research statement of your accomplishments and what you would like to work on in the next two years that you would be at INSPIRE. We will get back to you and your references if there is interest on our side.

Visiting appointments

We welcome visiting PhD researchers and visiting professor applications. These are typically unpaid positions, and typically are for visitors who are exchange PhD students, postdocs or professors who are spending their sabbatical with us. We can grant you office/desk space, a courtesy appointment and visa assistance if necessary. If you are interested in such a visit, please contact Prof. Yener directly with your desired dates and your thoughts on what you would like to accomplish during the visit.