Vacant job

Are you ready to take the next step in your academic journey? As a PhD student with us, you will work closely with leading researchers in a strong and international research environment, with access to advanced laboratory equipment and good funding opportunities. You are offered a secure employment, high-quality supervision, and room to grow, both as a researcher and as an individual.

RAI (https://www.ltu.se/research/subjects/RoboticsAI?l=en), at the Department of Systems and Space Technology at Luleå University of Technology, is now seeking a PhD student to contribute to our growing operations. The RAI team conducts fundamental and principled 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 the environment and humans during the execution of specific tasks.

Project Description

RAI's fundamental vision is to bridge the gap between theory and reality, and the team has a strong background in field robotics. Specific application areas we focus on are long-term autonomous missions in large and uncertain environments, semantic task planning with foundation models, agentic task decomposition and event-driven replanning, as well as autonomous semantically aware inspection of complex infrastructure. The RAI team has strong European and national participation in several R&I projects.

Job Responsibilities

As a PhD student, you will conduct research with significant theoretical and experimental components, which should be published in peer-reviewed internationally recognized journals and at major conferences. The position includes supervision of degree projects and support in applying for funding from research funding authorities/councils, the EU framework program, or industry. The position may also include teaching assistance, seminars, and presentations.

You will work within the area of robot autonomy, and all activities will be linked to national, European, and global R&D projects. The PhD position will involve intensive research activities in design, experimentation, and theoretical development.

Research Areas:

• Long-term autonomy in uncertain environments
• 1. Agentic planning and reasoning
  • Semantic task planning with foundation models
  • Task decomposition based on foundation models
  • Event-driven task replanning
• 2. Autonomous inspection planning
  • Semantically aware route planning
  • Multi-robot systems in large and degraded environments

Qualifications

To qualify for the position, you must have a master's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or another relevant subject. Good knowledge of C++, Python, and ROS 2 is required. Good scientific skills with proven proficiency in experimental research and very good communication skills are advantageous. You will represent the group in various contexts, both in Sweden and abroad, therefore very good knowledge of English is required.

For further information about the specific PhD program, see LTU's study plans (http://www.ltu.se/research/Utbildning-pa-forskarniva/Studieplaner/Allmanna-studieplaner-Teknisk-fakultetsnamnd).

Information

Employment as a PhD student is fixed-term for 4 years. Teaching and other institutional duties may be added up to 20% of full-time. The workplace is Luleå, and the start date is by agreement.

For further information, please contact:

George Nikolakopoulos, Professor and Subject Representative, 0920-49 1298, [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 application button below. The application should include a CV with a complete description of the applicant's scientific merits, a cover letter, at least two reference persons who can provide recommendations, and copies of verified degree certificates from upper secondary school and university. The degree certificates must be written in Swedish or English. The application must be written in Swedish or English. Please mark your application with the reference number below.

Last day for applications: August 3, 2026

Reference number: 3569-2026