PhD student position in Interpretable Learning Methods for Efficient Human-Robot Collaboration

We are looking for a highly motivated researcher that would like to pursue a PhD in the areas of Interpretable Artificial Intelligence (IAI) and Autonomous Decision-Making to study and make significant contributions to the emerging field of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). HRC studies the most effective algorithms to enable robots to work safely and efficiently alongside with humans in shared spaces.

Join our multidisciplinary team to further investigate and propose innovative solutions to empower robots with the ability to make informed decisions in collaborative environments. If you are passionate about Interpretable AI, autonomous decision-making, and the future of human-robot collaboration, we strongly encourage you to apply!

Project description
Collaborative Robots (Cobots) are intended to interact directly with humans in shared and dynamic spaces. Meaning that humans and robots can work together in close proximity to achieve a common goal. What is limiting the deployment of Cobots to complex collaborative scenarios? An important research question is how to enable effective human-robot collaborations (HRC). A central challenge is to develop learning and reasoning methods to enable Cobots to autonomously make decisions, mirroring human’s ability to make quick, informed decisions in dynamic collaborative settings.

The next generation of Cobots should infer the intentions of its co-workers, make rapid decisions about the best actions to execute, and learn the correct associated control strategies to achieve the desired goal without compromising the collaboration. Thus, Cobots need to have a high-level reasoning model to resemble human cognitive modeling, and a low-level control model to execute optimal skills. The synthesis of high-level reasoning with adequate low-level controls is very challenging and it is an unexplored territory that will open up new opportunities in different research areas within the HRC field. This project aims to expand the scientific understanding of the requirements to provide a holistic solution from interpreting the collaborator’s intentions to executing the optimal robot skill autonomously, leading to better HRC.

Information about the division and the department
The position is within the Mechatronics group at Chalmers University of Technology, where a team of dedicated PhD students, postdocs and senior researchers are actively pursuing research in the areas of semantic-based methods, high-level decision-making systems, Interpretable AI, and Robotics. The Mechatronics group is an integral part of the Department of Electrical Engineering (E2) which primarily focuses on modeling and developing efficient systems for extracting and processing information. 

Major responsibilities
Your primary responsibility as a PhD student will be to pursue independent research and expand your capabilities and knowledge within the research domains covered by the project. You are expected to develop your own original scientific concepts and present the results of your research verbally at academic conferences and in written journal articles. You are also expected to collaborate with other team members and external researchers from academia and industry.

Read more about doctoral studies at Chalmers here .

Qualifications
By the starting date, the applicant should have:

- A master's degree equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits in Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Applied Math, or similar fields.

- A deep understanding and background in machine learning methods applied to the robotics domain, as well as familiarity with deductive reasoning methods.

- Good programming skills, preferably in C++ and experience with ROS (Robot Operating System). Additionally, knowledge on Python, Unity, and Prolog is also welcome.

- A genuine interest and curiosity in the subject, coupled with excellent oral and written English communication skills.

Meritorious experience and skills:

- Experience with teaching.

- The candidate should have experience with cross-disciplinary collaboration, as well as international exchange and demonstrated teamwork.

- It is meritorious if the candidate has peer-review publication(s) as first author.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.
This position involves specific department obligations, typically in the form of teaching, which accounts for approximately 20% of your working hours.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg .
Read more about working at Chalmers  and our benefits  for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence . Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with reference number 20240064 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV:(Please name the document: CV, Family name, reference number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter:(Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, ref.number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Application deadline: 2024-03-10

For questions, please contact:
Assoc. Prof. Karinne Ramirez Amaro, Systems and Control,
[email protected]

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***

Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!
 

URL to this page
https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/work-with-us/vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=12575&rmlang=UK