The Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems of the National Research Council (CNR) opens a Post-Doc Position funded through the Program for Relevant National Interest, COSMO: “Analogue Computing with Dynamic Switching Memristor Oscillators: Theory, Devices and Applications”.
COSMO Project description.
The overall objective of the COSMO project is to lay the foundations and to provide a small-scale demonstration of an alternative parallel and analogue computational architecture relying on the collective dynamics of interacting memristive oscillators.
Conventional computing, based on classical Von Neumann architectures, is now struggling with tasks like face recognition, real-time navigation control, object segmentation and depth perception. Such computational problems require a rethinking of the overall computing architecture that exploits emerging technologies for storage and memory. The memristor (memory + resistor), a two-terminal metal/insulator/metal device able to change its resistance upon electric stimulation, is one of the main proposed candidates to implement a parallel computing architecture mixing memory and computation. The highly nonlinear dynamics of a memristive device can be exploited to build nanoscale oscillators. In the approach of computing with physics, networks of interconnected and interacting oscillators can develop cooperative and collective dynamics, e.g. phase synchronization and other self-organizing spatio-temporal phenomena useful to alternative computing schemes overpassing the limits of conventional digital and Boolean computation.
The project gathers the competencies of 4 Italian partners in the fields of material science/device physics, dynamical systems and control theory.
Open Position description
Within the COSMO project, the group at CNR-IMM, Unit of Agrate Brianza (Italy) (www.mdm.imm.cnr.it) will set up the entire production chain from the development of novel memristive device technologies; to the realization of compact oscillators combining memristive and conventional electronic components and up to the arrangement of small networks of oscillators. We have opened a post- doc position under the scientific supervision of Dr. Stefano Brivio.
Physics-based simulation of memristive devices, oscillators and small networks. The focus will be the development of multi-physics-based dynamic models involving ion migration, redox-reactions and phase transitions. Compact versions of the models will be used to simulate circuit networks comprising a limited number of oscillators. The activity will be in continuous, bi-directional interconnection with the experimental work.
Additional Information and specific requirements for the open positions
Institution: CNR-IMM, Unit of Agrate Brianza, Italy
Level: PhD degree
Contract: 1 years, renewable to project duration
Fields: Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Material Science
Experience: in finite-element modeling of physics processes, physics-based modeling of devices possibly with emphasis in memory, RRAM and memristive devices.
Application: through public selection, which is posted on the CNR web site (https://bandi.urp.cnr.it/doc-assegni/documentazione/10457_DOC_IT.pdf). The call is in Italian. Interested candidates can send an e-mail with a CV to the following contact for further information or for any support for the application fulfillment. The planned starting date is within the first months of 2021, depending on candidate availability and required time for selection procedures.
Contact: Stefano Brivio, CNR-IMM-Agrate Brianza, stefano.brivio@mdm.imm.cnr.it