Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Associate or Engineer — Test and Measurement (OTA Testbed, Antenna Measurement, Instrumentation)

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. • Full-time • Waterloo, ON, CA • 1d ago

Company Description C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is a global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of mobile satellite-based antenna systems. The Emerging Radio Systems Group (EmRG) and the Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS) at the University of Waterloo, in partnership with C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., are launching a one-year research and development project on adaptive anti-jamming beamforming for Ka-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communication (SATCOM) terminals operating in contested environments.

Funded under Innovative Solutions Canada in support of DND/DRDC, the project will design, build, and operate an instrumented over-the-air (OTA) Ka-band testbed to evaluate three anti-jamming approaches — adaptive array processing (null steering, MVDR/LCMV), blind search-based nulling, and a CRPA-inspired digital sensing array (MUSIC/ESPRIT) — together with resilient air-interface techniques and Arctic deployment scenarios. The work advances the technology from TRL 5 to TRL 7 and delivers anti-jamming design guidelines, measurement datasets, and a commercialization pathway through C-COM.

C-COM is publicly traded on both the Canadian Venture Exchange (CVE: CMI) and the US OTC Exchange (OTC: CYNSF), offering a dynamic environment for technical innovation and professional growth.

Role Description This position leads the design, build, calibration, and commissioning of the over-the-air Ka-band testbed and the antenna and RF measurement methods used throughout the program. The role spans RF instrumentation and jammer emulation, near-field/far-field and OTA antenna measurement, array calibration, real-time interference detection, and automated, metric-driven measurement campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, calibrate, and commission the OTA testbed: signal generators emulating a LEO downlink and up to three jammers, up- and down-converters, high-power SSPAs, a channel emulator, 17–21 GHz horns, and antenna positioners.

• Plan and execute near-field/far-field and OTA measurements of Ka-band phased-array panels in the anechoic chamber and on the testbed; perform element-level amplitude and phase calibration and bound achievable null depth.

• Characterize beam patterns, null formation, beam-squint, antenna mutual coupling, and embedded element patterns.

• Configure antenna positioners and the robot-arm jammer geometry to realize single- and multi-jammer OTA scenarios.

• Develop automated measurement and data-acquisition pipelines (e.g., SCPI instrument control) and implement representative jamming scenarios.

• Define and compute quantitative metrics, including bit-error rate, SNR, jammer-to-signal ratio, throughput degradation, probability of detection, and reaction/recovery latency.

• Produce testbed documentation, schematics, datasets with uncertainty analysis, and training material, and contribute to anti-jamming design guidelines and milestone reports.

Required Qualifications

• PhD (for the Postdoctoral Fellow level), or an MASc/PhD or a B.Eng. with strong relevant experience (for the Research Associate / Engineer level), in RF/communications or antenna engineering or a related field.

• Hands-on RF test and measurement experience: signal generators and analyzers, up/down-conversion, SSPAs, and mmWave/Ka-band RF chains, including calibration.

• Antenna and phased-array measurement experience, including near-field/far-field scanners, anechoic-chamber testing, and vector network analyzers.

• Laboratory automation with Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW (e.g., SCPI instrument control) and strong systems-integration skills.

Preferred / Asset Qualifications

• Experience with SATCOM link testing, channel emulators, and OTA testbeds.

• Software-defined radio (SDR) experience.

• Familiarity with calibration of phased-array and beamforming hardware and with measurement-uncertainty analysis and calibration standards.

Terms and Conditions

Position type

Full-time, one-year term (renewable, contingent on performance and continued funding)

Anticipated start

September/October 2026

Location

University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON);

Level

Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Associate, or Engineer (1.0 FTE)

Compensation

Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Eligibility and Security

This project supports a Government of Canada defence program. Depending on the role, the successful applicant may be required to be eligible for a Canadian security clearance and to comply with the Controlled Goods Program and applicable Canadian export-control regulations. Canadian citizenship or permanent residency may therefore be required for some positions. Please indicate your eligibility in your application.