Digital services and AI models now power everything from city traffic control to personalised healthcare, but their energy use and carbon footprint are growing fast. SOC² Lab develops sustainable ways to orchestrate these services across the edge–to–cloud continuum, enabling low-carbon, resilient, and intelligent systems for smart cities, smart buildings, and global-scale applications.
Our work combines energy-efficient, carbon-aware computing with cutting-edge paradigms such as serverless architectures, edge AI, and distributed large language models. From real-time urban analytics to building energy optimisation, we design orchestration models and algorithms that reduce environmental impact while improving performance and resilience, directly contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 9, 11, and 13.
Research Focus
- Sustainable Orchestration in Edge–Cloud and Multi-Cloud Environments: We design mechanisms for energy-efficient, carbon-aware orchestration across diverse computing infrastructures, from edge devices to federated and multi-cloud platforms. Our work covers dynamic service placement, task scheduling, and resource provisioning that balance performance, cost, and environmental impact, leveraging advanced networking platforms such as MEC, B5G, 6G, and SAGIN to enable next-generation resilient and sustainable urban infrastructures.
- LLM@Edge and Distributed LLMs: We investigate the deployment and optimisation of large language models at the network edge to deliver low-latency, resource-efficient AI services. Our research also advances distributed LLM architectures, including Mixture of Experts (MoE) models, enabling scalable and sustainable AI across the edge–cloud continuum. Applications include real-time urban analytics, building energy optimisation, and other sustainability-driven domains.
Our Values
- Open Science and the FAIR Principles: We make all research outputs, from orchestration algorithms to edge–cloud simulation datasets, openly available under the FAIR principles, ensuring they are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. By sharing tools, data, and reproducibility packages on open platforms, we accelerate innovation and enable validation of our work by the global research community.
- Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): We create an inclusive research environment where diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise are valued as essential to solving complex challenges in sustainable computing, AI at the edge, and resilient urban systems. Our EDI commitment extends to recruitment, mentoring, and collaborative projects.
- Collaboration for Impact: We work closely with academic institutions, industry leaders, and policy stakeholders to co-create solutions that combine scientific excellence with societal benefit, from renewable-aware orchestration to distributed AI deployment and sustainable networking infrastructures.
Vacancies
We welcome talented researchers and students who share our passion for sustainable computing and edge intelligence. Whether you are seeking a PhD, postdoctoral fellowship, or a short-term research stay, SOC² Lab offers a collaborative, inclusive environment and access to our edge and cloud computing testbeds.
Opportunities include:
- PhD positions are available through funded routes, such as Research Ireland Government of Ireland (GoI) Scholarships and China Scholarship Council–Ireland (CIC). PhD positions are also available on a self-funded basis.
- Postdoctoral research positions are funded through MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and other international calls.
- Visiting researcher positions are available for short- or long-term collaboration on aligned research topics (on a self-funded basis).
- Research internships are available for top students or early-career researchers wishing to align independent projects with our focused areas (on a self-funded basis).
Check out our Join Us page for current opportunities and application details.
Collaborate with SOC²
We are building a network of collaborators across academia, industry, and policy who share our vision for sustainable computing and edge intelligence. Our work spans the edge-to-cloud continuum, with expertise in renewable-aware orchestration, distributed AI deployment, and sustainable networking infrastructures. We welcome collaboration in areas such as:
- Joint proposal development for national and international research calls
- Co-supervision of PhD projects and student exchanges
- Shared datasets, tools, and testbeds to advance open science
- Pilot studies and proof-of-concept projects with industry and community partners