Vacant job

Do you want to develop your research and teaching in an environment where collaboration with industry and society is second nature? At our institution, you will work with dedicated colleagues, have access to modern research infrastructure, and enjoy excellent opportunities to attract external funding. You will be given the space to make a real difference for your students, your research, and society at large.

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) at the Department of Systems and Space Technology, Luleå University of Technology, is now seeking a researcher to contribute to our growing operations. The RAI team conducts fundamental and principle-based research within 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 improve the robots' ability to interact with their environment and humans while performing specific tasks.

Project Description

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

Job Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of a researcher is research. Teaching and pedagogical development work may be included in the duties, comprising up to 20% of the working time. You will conduct research with substantial experimental elements, which should be published in peer-reviewed international academic journals and at major conferences. Responsibilities include supervising doctoral and Master's students, teaching, and supporting the acquisition of funding for future research projects from research funding agencies, EU projects, or industry.

You will work within aerial robotics, and your activities will be linked to national, European, and global R&D projects.

Characteristic research topics will focus on, but are not limited to, the following areas, where evidence of previous work with experimentally verified results is required:

• Research Topics: Field Robotics focusing on extreme environments
  • Navigating 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 assessments, etc.
  • Task-specific modules such as autonomous fire suppression, sampling, rescue operations, or large-scale mission planning.

Qualifications

To be eligible for employment, a PhD degree or equivalent foreign degree in control engineering or a related field is required. It is advantageous if your degree was awarded no more than three years prior to the last day of application for this position. If there are special reasons, it may be considered as having been awarded earlier, for example, in cases of various types of statutory leave.

The research duties require a solid mathematical background, proven advanced experimental skills, and excellent programming skills (e.g., C++, ROS, Matlab, etc.). You should have a strong vision for evaluating and demonstrating research results in real-world field and industrial conditions, using an approach that reduces the gap between pure theory and experimental verification. You will represent the group in various contexts, both in Sweden and abroad, hence very good knowledge of English is required.

Information

The position is fixed-term for one year full-time, starting September 1, 2026, and ending August 31, 2027. Location: Luleå.

For further information, please contact:

George Nikolakopoulos, Professor and Subject Representative, 0920–491298, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Union Representatives:

SACO-S Diana Chroneer, 0920-49 2037, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

OFR-S Marika Vesterberg, 0920-49 1721, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Application

We prefer that you apply for the position via the button below, attaching a cover letter, a detailed CV with a list of publications and a full description of your academic merits, a rough research plan regarding the described research topics, a list of successful grant applications or participation in research projects, at least 2 references, certified copies of verified and translated diplomas and PhD degree. Please mark your application with the reference number below. Both the application and diplomas must be written in Swedish or English.

Last day of application: June 8, 2026

Reference number: 3169–2026