PhD student in Soft Aerial Robotics

Empa is the research institute for materials science and technology of the ETH Domain and conducts cutting-edge research for the benefit of industry and the well-being of society.

The general guiding theme and vision of the new Empa Materials and Technology Center of Robotics is to develop novel lifelike aerial robotic systems for infrastructure maintenance and environmental monitoring. The work uses a bio-inspired robot development methodology and focusses on the co-evolution of advanced materials with machine-learning based controllers and multi-sensory perception. We are looking for a

PhD student in Soft Aerial Robotics

to perform a pioneering research in soft robotic manipulators for aerial robots in the Materials and Technology Center of Robotics (robotics.empa.ch). The Center is based on an institutional partnership between Imperial College London and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa).

• B.Sc., M.Sc. (or equivalent) in Robotics, Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or other closely-related discipline
• Strong background in physics and chemistry of materials
• Strong interest in robotics
• Experience in material characterization, including optical and electron microscopy, mechanical properties of materials
• Knowledge of CAD software (such as SolidWorks or Siemens NX)
• Experience in design and additive manufacturing of materials
• Experience and will of work in a multidisciplinary environment, especially in the one linking Materials-Mechanical Engineering/Aeronautics-Computer Science disciplines
• Ability to lead work independently and work in teams
• Excellence in English, both written and spoken

Requirements (preferred):

• Experience in aerial robotics
• Experience in soft actuation and sensing for soft robotics
• Acquaintance with machine learning
• Experience in material simulation
• Experience in finite elements analysis
• Project management skills
• Experience in composing academic writing pieces (manuscripts, reviews, etc)
• Knowledge of the German language

The PhD degree (PhD in Aeronautics) will be granted by Imperial College London. Work location will be the Empa campus in Dübendorf, next to Zurich, Switzerland. Strong collaboration and exchanges will be maintained with the Aerial Robotics Lab at the Imperial College South Kensington campus in central London. The London-Zurich link offers an excellent ecosystem for furtherance of the project and for personal development in a variety of areas.