Doctoral student in Computer Science

Örebro University and the School of Science and Technology are looking for a doctoral student with a background in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering or similar and experience with radar perception, concluding with a licentiate degree.
Start date: Aug 1, 2023.

Project description
To use radar as a sensing modality on mobile robots has attracted increasing interest over the last years and its widespread introduction is expected to have a substantial impact for mobile service robots in industrial applications. Especially its resilience to smoke or dust and challenging weather conditions (such as heavy rain, fog or snow) presents a substantial advantage compared to lidar or visual perception, for example. Recent developments in hardware and novel perception algorithms have paved the way towards robust radar approaches to odometry, localization and mapping that can deal with the complex characteristics of radar signals (which can be difficult to interpret due to multipath reflection, speckle noise, and receiver saturation).

With a view on autonomous applications and long-term deployments, this project will set out investigating and quantifying the accuracy that can be achieved for odometry, localization and mapping with different state-of-the-shelf radar systems, particularly in comparison to respective lidar solutions. Based on these initial comparisons, using available and newly collected data, and building on expertise at Örebro University, Bosch Rexroth and TU Munich, the development of novel 2D and particularly 3D radar approaches (possibly combining classic and AI components) is a central goal in this project. Another aim is to evaluate the suitability of radar solutions (alone or in addition to lidar) for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) in changing environments. It is also planned to further develop approaches that evaluate partial results (e.g., after registration or map updates) with the goal to identify possible issues so as to be able to detect and remedy them online (radar introspection).

Supervision: The doctoral student will be supervised by Achim J. Lilienthal (principal supervisor) and Henrik Andreasson (assistant supervisor) and Ralf Becker (Bosch Rexroth, external supervisor).

The programme and the doctoral studentship
The doctoral programme consists of courses and an independent research project that you will present in a licentiate thesis. The programme concludes with a licentiate degree and comprises 120 credits, which corresponds to two years of full-time study. The program length may possibly be extended and conclude with a doctoral degree, if funding can be secured.

Our ambition is for your doctoral studies to be stimulating and purposeful throughout the programme until you have obtained your licentiate degree. A thorough introduction will therefore get you off to a good start and provide a solid foundation on which you can build your studies. As a doctoral student at Örebro University, you will be offered a specially tailored seminar series, covering matters ranging from doctoral programme rules and careers to support during the study period and networking.

More information on doctoral studentships, part-time studies and part-time doctoral studentships can be found in the Regulations Handbook. The initial salary for a doctoral studentship is approx. SEK 29,000 a month.

Entry requirements and selection
For admission to doctoral studies, applicants are required to meet both general entry requirements and specific entry requirements. In addition, applicants must be considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the programme. For a full account of the entry requirements, refer to the admissions regulations as well as to annex 2 to the general syllabus for computer science.

Information
For more information about the programme and the doctoral studentship, contact Lars Karlsson, e-mail: lars.karlsson@oru.se.

Örebro University actively pursues equal opportunities and gender equality as well as a work environment characterised by openness, trust and respect. We value the qualities that diversity adds to our operations.

Application to the programme and for the doctoral studentship
The application is made online. Click the button “Apply” to begin the application procedure.

For the application to be complete, the following electronic documents must be included:


• The form Application for/decision on admission to research studies
• CV
• Certificate on completed higher education courses and study programmes, and if applicable a degree certificate
• Degree project/independent project
• Description of research interests – detailing the field of research you are interested in, including, if applicable, theoretical and methodological approaches (2-5 pages).
• Copies of relevant course/degree certificates and references verifying eligibility and criteria met

As a main rule, application documents and attachments are to be written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, or English. Certificates and documents in other languages verifying your qualifications and experience must be translated by an authorised translator to Swedish or English. A list of authorised translators can be obtained from Kammarkollegiet (the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency), www.kammarkollegiet.se/engelska/start.

When you apply for admission, you automatically also apply for a doctoral studentship.
More information for applicants will be found on our career site:  https://www.oru.se/english/career/available-positions/applicants-and-external-experts/

The application deadline is May 23, 2023. We look forward to receiving your application!

As we have already made our choices in terms of external collaboration partners and marketing efforts for this recruitment process, we decline any contact with recruitment agencies and advertisers.

As directed by the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet), we are required to deposit one file copy of the application documents, excluding publications, for a period of two years after the appointment decision has gained legal force.