PhD in autonomous perception for manipulation

Örebro University and the School of Science and Technology are looking for a doctoral student for the doctoral programme in computer science, concluding with a doctoral degree.
Start date: spring 2021.

The offered position is part of the new European research and innovation project DARKO, to be coordinated by Örebro University through 2021-2024.

Project description
The topic for this position is within the field of 3D perception and scene understanding for autonomous manipulation. Specifically, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to research on (1) object- and scene- level semantic perception algorithms that can be trained with sparsely labeled or self-supervised data and are suitable for dynamically changing scenes; (2) methods for direct interfacing between perception and manipulation in a reinforcement learning setting; and (3) methods for manipulation and state estimation of deformable objects, using an underactuated robot hand. The successful candidate is expected to identify one of the three topics as a primary focus area, and argue why and how they would like to address the topic in their research statement. 

Research in this project will be performed in close interaction with other doctoral students and senior researchers at Örebro University, and will also involve substantial collaboration with our international partners.

The successful candidate is autonomous, shows strong and independent problem solving and critical analytical abilities. Furthermore, the candidate has the ability to co-operate and possesses personal maturity. Fluent spoken and written command of English is essential, while knowledge of Swedish is not necessary. Excellent programming skills are also required, as are a keen interest in mathematics, computer science, and robotics. Prior experience in Machine Learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning are beneficial. Experience with robotic sensing and control, computer vision, and relevant software frameworks are other valuable merits.

The programme and the doctoral studentship
To see the full advertisement, go to our career site.

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.

Applicants meet the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in computer science if they have been awarded a Degree of Master of Science in Engineering or a one-year Master’s degree from a programme within the subject field or related subjects, or if they have received a passing grade of at least 120 credits, including an independent project on the second cycle, in a main field of study of relevance to the computer science field. A person who has acquired substantially corresponding knowledge, in Sweden or abroad, also meets the specific entry requirements.

Information
For more information about the programme and the doctoral studentship, please contact Dr. Todor Stoyanov (todor.stoyanov@oru.se), Dr. Martin Magnusson (martin.magnusson@oru.se) and Prof. Achim J. Lilienthal (achim.lilienthal@oru.se).

Örebro University actively pursues an equal work environment and values 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
• Copies of relevant course/degree certificates and references verifying eligibility and criteria met
• Description of research interests – detailing the field of research you are interested in, including, if applicable, theoretical and methodological approaches (2-5 pages).

As a main rule, application documents and attachments are to be written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, or English. Documents in other languages 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.

The application deadline is 15th of February, 2021. We look forward to receiving your application!

We decline any contact with advertisers or recruitment agencies in the recruitment process.