PhD thesis supervisor: dr. Paulius Ragulis (apply for recommendation)
Investigation of GNSS jamming and spoofing effects in realistic environments
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are a critical component of everyday positioning and timing services, enabling modern aviation operations, transport and logistics chains, UAV navigation, and the synchronization of critical infrastructure. However, GNSS reception is vulnerable to intentional radio-frequency interference, including jamming and spoofing, whose impact is amplified by realistic propagation conditions such as dense urban environments, airport areas, and border regions. This doctoral research will focus on the physics of GNSS interference in such environments, aiming to quantify how different interference waveforms and scenarios translate into performance degradation and operational risks for safety-critical and mass-market applications.
The research will combine experimental and modelling approaches: controlled laboratory investigations using GNSS receivers and SDR platforms, signal generation/emulation and analysis of recorded IQ data, characterization of interference signatures using spectral and time–frequency features, and statistical assessment of interference occurrence and impact. Mitigation will be studied through a combination of CRPA-based spatial filtering (beamforming/null steering concepts),
RF/baseband filtering, and hybrid strategies. In addition, metamaterial-inspired concepts will be explored to tailor antenna characteristics relevant to anti-jamming performance. The expected outcome is a set of physics-grounded detection/mitigation methodologies supported by experimental validation and disseminated through peerreviewed scientific publications.