Post-Doctoral Research Visit F/M Beyond static cell labels: Fine-grained Utilization profiling for perSonalized mobIle network adaptatioN (FUSION)

The Inria Saclay-Île-de-France Research Centre was established in 2008. It has developed as part of the Saclay site in partnership with Paris-Saclay University and with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris .

The centre has 41 project teams , 27 of which operate jointly with Paris-Saclay University and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Its activities occupy over 600 people, scientists and research and innovation support staff, including 44 different nationalities.

Every year Inria International Relations Department has a few postdoctoral positions in order to support Inria international collaborations.

The postdoctoral contract will have a duration of 12 to 24 months. The default start date is November 1st, 2026 and not later than January, 1st 2027. The postdoctoral fellow will be recruited by one of the Inria Centres in France but it is recommended that the time is shared between France and the partner’s country (please note that the postdoctoral fellow has to start his/her contract being in France and that the visits have to respect Inria rules for missions).

Mobile network resource allocation strongly depends on how cellular base stations (BSs) are used over time. Existing approaches typically rely on coarse land-use classification of BSs (e.g., residential, commercial) derived from aggregated activity patterns to anticipate demand variations. While effective at a macroscopic level, such approaches overlook the heterogeneity of users visiting a BS and the diversity of their behaviors and service needs.

This project aims to enable a fine-grained characterization of BSs’s usability grounded in visitor heterogeneity. Leveraging detailed mobility and traffic data, the research will jointly model cell functions and user profiles, capturing who visits a BS, how frequently, for how long, and with what network usage patterns. Beyond cell-centric labels, the project will identify recurrent visitor types (e.g., routine/commuter users with occasional/regular demand) and study how their presence and mobility dynamics shape spatiotemporal demand, indirectly defining visitation BSs’ profiles. By combining mobility analysis, user profiling, and spatiotemporal modeling, the project seeks to provide mobile networks with richer, human-aware representations of demand. These representations will support more adaptive and personalized resource allocation strategies at the network edge, essential to meet 6G performance requirements.

The datasets to be used in this research proposal will consist of publicly available cellular datasets (e.g., Shenzhen CDRs) and other non-public datasets to which the team has signed NDAs (e.g., Shanghai CDR).

This postdoctoral position is part of the TRiBE research team at Inria Saclay and focuses on human-centric modeling for next-generation mobile networks, named FUSION. The FUSION project aims to to move beyond static representations by introducing fine-grained models of mobile network usage based on visitor heterogeneity.

The postdoctoral researcher will:

• Analyze large-scale mobility and network datasets (e.g., CDR/XDR)
• Model user behavior and mobility patterns at fine granularity
• Develop methods for visitor profiling and cell utilization characterization
• Design adaptive resource allocation strategies based on user profiles

The project will contribute to the design of human-aware, adaptive edge networks for future 6G systems.

Candidates for postdoctoral positions are recruited after the completion of their Ph.D. or a first postdoctoral period. To be eligible, candidates must have defended their Ph.D. no later than December 31, 2023.
In order to encourage mobility, the postdoctoral position must take place in a scientific environment that is truly different from the one of the Ph.D. (and, if applicable, from the position held since the Ph.D.); particular attention is thus paid to French or international candidates who obtained their doctorate abroad.

• Analysis of mobility and network usage data
• Development of user profiling techniques
• Spatiotemporal modeling of network demand
• Evaluation of adaptive resource allocation strategies
• Scientific dissemination (publications, presentations)

• Background in networking, data science, or machine learning
• Experience with spatiotemporal data analysis
• Knowledge of mobile networks is a plus
• Programming skills (Python, data processing frameworks)
• Interest in human-centric network design

• Subsidized meals
• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
• Possibility of teleworking and flexible organization of working hours
• Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
• Social, cultural and sports events and activities
• Access to vocational training
• Social security coverage

€2,788 gross per month