Do you want to develop your research and teaching in an environment where collaboration with industry and society is a matter of course? With us, you will work with dedicated colleagues, access to modern research infrastructure and good opportunities to attract external funding. You will be given the space to make a real difference to your students, your research and society at large.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) (http://www.ltu.se/robotics) at the Department of Systems and Space Engineering at Luleå University of Technology is now looking for a postdoctoral fellow to contribute to our growing activities. The RAI team conducts fundamental and principled research in all aspects of robotics with a specific focus on airborne, space, and bio-inspired robotics.
RAI's vision is to close the gap between theory and reality and the team has a strong background in field robotics. Application areas we focus on are robotics for mines, airborne inspection of aging infrastructure, multi-robot search and rescue for emergency services and the like, multi-sensor fusion and multi-robot coordination which includes ambient perception, decentralization and execution of specified missions for multi-robot systems.
The RAI team has a strong participation in European R&D projects and participates in the DARPA SUB-T Challenge as a member of the CoSTAR team, led by NASA/JPL (https://costar.jpl.nasa.gov/).
Description of the subject
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence aims to develop new robotic systems characterized by advanced autonomy to improve the ability of robots to interact with the environment and humans during the execution of specific tasks.
Project description
You will work in the field of airborne robotics and their activities will link with national, European and worldwide R&D projects.
The research topics will focus on, but are not limited to:
- Navigation through unknown environments
- Fast dynamics-based planning
- Semantic-based exploration
- Source localization
- Perception in sensor-degraded environments:
- Localization in smoke and dust-filled environments
- Scene understanding
- Biometric/triage evaluations, etc.
- Mission specific modules such as autonomous firefighting, sampling, rescue operations or large scale mission planning.
Duties
The duties of a postdoctoral researcher are essentially research. You will carry out research with substantial experimental elements that should be published in peer-reviewed international academic journals and presented at major conferences. Duties include supervision of PhD and MSc students, teaching and support in obtaining funds for future research projects from research funding agencies/councils, EU projects or industry.
Qualifications
To be eligible for employment, a PhD or equivalent foreign degree in control engineering or related subject is required. It is an advantage if your degree was obtained no more than three years before the closing date for applications for this position. If there are special reasons, those who have obtained a doctoral degree earlier may be considered, for example in the case of various types of statutory leave. The research tasks require a solid mathematical background with proven advanced experimental capabilities and excellent programming skills (e.g. C++, ROS, Matlab, etc.). You should have a strong vision for evaluating and demonstrating the research results in real field and industrial conditions with an approach that reduces the gap between pure theory and experimental verification. You will be required to represent the group in various contexts, both in Sweden and abroad, hence excellent knowledge of English is a requirement.
Information
The employment is limited to two years with the possibility of extension for another year.
Place of employment Luleå. Access according to agreement.
For further information, please contact:
George Nikolakopoulos, Professor and Head of Department, 0920-49 1298 mailto:geonik@ltu.se
Trade union representatives:
SACO-S Diana Chroneer, 0920-49 2037 mailto:diana.chroneer@ltu.se
OFR-S Marika Vesterberg, 0920-49 1721 mailto:marika.vesterberg@ltu.se
Application
We prefer that you apply for the position via the application button below where you attach a cover letter, a detailed CV with list of publications and full description of your scientific merits, a rough research plan with respect to the described research topics, list of successful grant applications or participation in research projects, at least 2 references, formal copies of verified and translated diplomas and PhD degree. Please mark your application with the reference number below. The application must be written in English as we have English speakers in the recruitment team.
Date for application: June 8, 2026
Reference number: 3188-2026