Vacant job

Do you want to develop your research and teaching in an environment where collaboration with industry and society is a given? Here, you will work with engaged colleagues, have access to modern research infrastructure, and enjoy good 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 at Luleå University of Technology is now seeking a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to our growing activities. 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.

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 mining, aerial inspection of aging infrastructure, multi-robot search and rescue for emergency services, multi-sensor fusion, and multi-robot coordination, which includes environmental awareness, decentralization, and execution of specified missions for multi-robot systems.

The RAI team is actively participating in European R&D&I projects and RAI participates in the DARPA SUB-T Challenge as a member of the CoSTAR team, led by NASA/JPL.

Subject Description

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence aims to develop new robotic systems characterized by advanced autonomy to improve robots' ability to interact with their environment and people during the execution of specific tasks.

Project Description

You will work within aerial robotics, and your activities will link with national, European, and global R&D projects.

The research topics will focus on, but are not limited to:

• 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 evaluations, etc.
• Mission-specific modules such as autonomous fire fighting, sampling, rescue operations, or large-scale mission planning.

Responsibilities

The main responsibilities for a postdoctoral researcher are research. You will conduct research with substantial experimental elements that should be published in peer-reviewed international academic journals and presented at major conferences. Responsibilities include supervising PhD and MSc students, teaching, and supporting the acquisition of funding for future research projects from research funding agencies/councils, EU projects, or industry.

Qualifications

To be eligible for employment, a PhD degree or equivalent foreign degree in control engineering or a related field is required. It is an advantage if your degree was awarded no more than three years prior to the application deadline for this position. If there are special reasons, a degree obtained earlier may be considered equivalent, for example, due to various types of statutory leave. The research tasks 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 bridges the gap between pure theory and experimental verification. You will need to represent the group in various contexts, both in Sweden and abroad, hence excellent English skills are required.

Information

The position is fixed-term for two years with the possibility of extension for an additional year.

Place of work: Luleå. Start date: According to agreement.

For further information, please contact:

George Nikolakopoulos, Professor and Subject Representative, +46 (0)920-49 1298, [email protected]

Union Representatives:

SACO-S Diana Chroneer, +46 (0)920-49 2037, [email protected]

OFR-S Marika Vesterberg, +46 (0)920-49 1721, [email protected]

Application

We prefer that you apply for the position via the application button below, attaching a cover letter, a detailed CV with a list of publications and a full description of your academic merits, a draft research plan regarding the described research topics, a list of successful grant applications or participation in research projects, at least 2 references, official copies of verified and translated diplomas and PhD certificate. Please mark your application with the reference number below. The application must be written in English as we have English-speaking members in the recruitment group.

Application deadline: June 8, 2026

Reference number: 3188-2026