The Southern Hemisphere radar stations in Australia (Tidbinbilla, Parkes and Narrabri) provide a good platform to detect asteroids and study their trajectories and properties. Based on real measurements obtained through these stations, the project aims at providing signal processing tools to analyse planetary radar signals of near-earth objects, i.e., asteroids. Technically, the problem of asteroid study via radar may be viewed as a spectral estimation problem, which is traditionally solved using Fourier Transform (FT) periodograms. Besides FT, in this project, the researcher will investigate other spectral estimation methods that can involve e.g., parametric and non-parametric statistical spectral estimation methods and Wavelet transforms. The work will be conducted in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and CSIRO. Thus, it provides an exciting scope that comprises both academic and industrial components and provides the PhD student with the opportunity to mingle and work with leading space researchers. Skills in signal processing are required, but skills in statistical and\or radar signal processing are highly desirable. Domestic and international applicants welcome.
