PhD in Automatic Control with focus on robotics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Automatic Control is an exciting and broad subject, covering both deep mathematics and hands-on engineering. Historically it has been instrumental in many areas, from the early development of telecommunications to the space race. Today, driven by the needs of society and technological progress, Automatic Control has never been more relevant. It is crucial for secure operation of many cutting edge technologies, such as integration of renewable energy sources, cloud computing, robotics, Internet of Things and autonomous systems.

Does this sound interesting?

The Department of Automatic Control, Lund University, is opening a PhD position within the ELLIIT-project "Autonomous Force-Aware Swift Motion Control", run together with the Division of Vehicular Systems, Linköping University. This PhD project focuses on motion coordination of autonomous vehicles and robot manipulators under constraints of interaction forces with the environment. A particular focus will be on resilience and robustness for motion control, leveraging on concepts from motion planning, path tracking, and trajectory generation. Evaluations in advanced force-interaction manipulations include experimental research on robotic platforms.

For this project we look for candidates with a strong background in control theory and robotics, and ability for implementation in experimental environments and available lab infrastructure. Good knowledge and experience with autonomous systems and programming in, e.g., Python/Julia/Matlab/C++ is highly desirable.

A PhD degree also gives you the perfect base for an exciting career, be it in academia or industry. Lund University and the Department of Automatic Control welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Work duties
The PhD position lasts five years and consists of three main aspects:

• research project, including trips to conferences, seminars etc.,
• postgraduate courses, locally and internationally given (90 credits), and
• teaching (at most 20%), including lab supervision and exam responsibilities. This part also involves professional development working with equality and diversity, arranging events etc.

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programs if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification,
• or has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle,
• or has acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Automatic Control if he or she has:

• knowledge corresponding to Automatic Control Basic Course (FRT010) and a second cycle specialisation of relevance to the subject,
• or an MSc in engineering or equivalent

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Good language analytical ability.
• Course corresponding to basic course in automatic control.
• Curiousness about research and teaching.
• Creativity with good ability for cooperation and networking.
• Proactivity.
• Persistence and a methodological way of working.

Assessment criteria
Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycles. Special attention is paid to the following:

• The results of studies at the basic and advanced levels, in particular control engineering, mathematics and closely related topics.
• The ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Written and oral communication skills.
• Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Assessment considerations include grades, certificates and references, as well as other relevant experience that demonstrates competences relevant to postgraduate studies. Assessment considerations also include that the candidates will be judged by their drive, creativity and ability to cooperate and work independently.

Terms of employment
Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years (Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.). A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% teaching and professional development). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§. A doctoral student will receive a competitive monthly salary of 31 200 SEK with yearly raise. We intend to hire 1-3 PhD students.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research area corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.). Don't forget to answer the qualification questions. Those applicants who will be called for interview, may be asked to perform a small test to demonstrate basic competence.