PhD Student in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

Luleå University of Technology is experiencing strong growth with world-leading expertise in several research areas. Our scientific and artistic research and education are conducted in close collaboration with international, national, and regional companies, public actors, and leading universities. Luleå University of Technology has an annual turnover of over 2.3 billion SEK. We have more than 1,800 employees and nearly 21,600 students.

The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) group at the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Luleå University of Technology is now seeking a PhD student to contribute to our growing activities. The RAI team conducts fundamental and principled research in all aspects of robotics with a specific focus on aerial, space, and bio-inspired robotics.

Subject Description

Robotics and artificial intelligence aim to develop new robotic systems characterized by advanced autonomy to enhance the robots' ability to interact with the environment and humans while performing specific tasks.

Project Description

The vision of RAI is to bridge the gap between theory and reality, and the team has a strong background in field robotics. The application areas we focus on include robotics for mining, aerial inspection of aging infrastructure, multi-robot search and rescue for emergency services, and similar. Furthermore, we work with multi-sensor fusion and multi-robot coordination, which includes environmental perception, decentralization, and execution of specified missions for multi-robot systems.

Responsibilities

You will conduct research with experimental elements that will be published in internationally recognized academic journals as well as at major conferences. You will also work on supervising theses, teaching assistance, and support in applying for funding for future research projects from research funding agencies/councils, EU projects, or industry. As a PhD student, you will work within autonomous robotic systems, and the activities will be linked to national, European, and global R&D projects.

The PhD positions will include compact research activities in design, experimentation, and theory development:

• Field Robotics with a focus on extreme environments
• a. Navigation through unknown environments
• - Fast dynamics-based planning
• - Semantic-based exploration
• - Source localization
• b. Perception in sensor-degraded environments
• - Localization in smoke and dust-filled environments
• - Scene understanding
• - Biometric/triage evaluations, etc.
• c. Mission-specific modules such as autonomous firefighting, sampling, rescue operations, or large-scale mission planning.

Qualifications

To be qualified for the PhD position, you must have a five-year university degree in computer engineering, engineering physics, or another relevant subject. Strong scientific skills and excellence in experimental research, as well as good communication skills in both spoken and written English, are required. You will represent the group in various contexts, both in Sweden and abroad, thus very good knowledge of English is a requirement.

Information

The employment as a PhD student is time-limited to 4 years, and teaching and other departmental duties may be included up to 20% of full-time. Place of employment is Luleå, with start date by agreement.

For further information, please contact:
George Nikolakopoulos, Professor and Subject Representative, 0920-49 1298, [email protected].

Union representatives:
SACO-S Diana Chroneer, 0920-49 2037 [email protected]
OFR-S Marika Vesterberg, 0920-49 1721 [email protected]

Application

We prefer that you apply for the position via the application button below, attaching a personal letter and CV/resume with scientific merits, at least two references, and copies of verified degree certificates. The degree certificates must be written in Swedish or English. The application must be written in English. Please label your application with the reference number below.

Application deadline: May 11, 2026
Reference number: 2451-2026