Vacant job

Luleå University of Technology is experiencing rapid 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, the public sector, and leading universities. Luleå University of Technology has an annual turnover of just over SEK 2.3 billion. We have more than 1,800 employees and nearly 21,600 students.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) (https://www.fieldrobotics.eu/) based at the Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering as part of the national research program WASP.

The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) is Sweden’s largest individual research program ever, a major national initiative for strategically motivated basic research, education, and faculty recruitment. The program addresses research on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems acting in collaboration with humans, adapting to their environment through sensors, information, and knowledge, and forming intelligent systems-of-systems. The vision of WASP is excellent research and competence in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and software for the benefit of Swedish society and industry. Read more: https://wasp-sweden.org/

You will be part of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence research group. More information: https://www.ltu.se/research/subjects/RoboticsAI?l=en. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with the strong, multi-disciplinary, and international professional network between researchers and industry associated with WASP.

Subject description

Robotics and artificial intelligence aim to develop novel robotic systems characterized by advanced autonomy to improve the ability of robots to interact with the surrounding environment and humans during the execution of specific tasks.

Project description

The vision of RAI is to close the gap from theory to real life, while the team has strong expertise in field robotics. The RAI team conducts fundamental and principled research in all aspects of robotics with strong European and National participation in multiple R&D&I projects. RAI has participated in the DARPA SUB-T challenge with the CoSTAR Team led by NASA/JPL (https://costar.jpl.nasa.gov/).

Research topics for this Postdoctoral researcher position will focus on one or more of the following key areas, where proof of previous work with experimentally verified results is necessary:

- Distributed robotic autonomy for embodied intelligence

- Data-driven and learning-based control

- Decentralized decision-making and distributed optimization

- Belief-space and uncertainty-aware planning

- Neuro-symbolic and context-aware reasoning for robotics

- Meta-learning for adaptive coordination

Duties

The duties of a Postdoc primarily comprise research. You will perform research with substantial experimental components that should be published in peer-reviewed international journals and at major conferences. The position will include supervision of PhD and MSc students, teaching, and supporting in acquiring funds for future research projects from research funding agencies/councils, EU framework programs, or industry.

Qualifications

In order to be eligible for employment as a postdoc, you must have a PhD or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD in Robotics and AI, Automatic Control, or a related subject. A doctoral degree awarded no more than three years before the application deadline provides a useful qualification. Candidates who have been awarded a doctoral degree at an earlier date may also be considered if there are special grounds, for example, different types of statutory leave of absence.

The research tasks require a solid mathematical background with proven advanced experimental capabilities and excellent programming skills (e.g., C++, ROS, Matlab, Python, etc.). You should have a strong vision to evaluate and demonstrate research findings in real-life operating conditions, in an approach to close the gap between pure theory and experimental verification. You will need to represent the group in different contexts, both in Sweden and abroad, and hence have excellent skills in English. Experience in Field Robotics and real-world experimentation will be highly considered as a merit.

Further information

The employment is limited to 2 years.

Placement: Luleå. Starting date: 01 August 2026

For further information about the position, please contact:

George Nikolakopoulos, Chaired Professor, (+46) 920-49 1298 mailto:[email protected]

Union representatives:

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

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

In case of different interpretations of the English and Swedish versions of this announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

Application

We prefer that you apply for this position by clicking on the apply button below. The application should include a CV with a full description of all the scientific merits and publications of the candidate, a motivation letter, a research plan with a description of the research topics, a list of successful grant applications, a list of 2 persons that could provide recommendations for the candidate, and copies of verified and translated diplomas from high school and universities. Your application must be written in Swedish or English. Mark your application with the reference number below.

Closing date for applications: 15 June, 2026

Reference number: 2462-2026