Researcher in Social Robotics

Description of the workplace

The researcher will be employed at the Cognitive Robotic Lab, Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science.

The labs unique position at the Department of Philosophy offers innovative and multidisciplinary research blending humanities disciplines such as philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, language-related and socio-cultural aspects with technology development, robotics, and AI ethics.

The lab is also engaged in a wide array of dissemination and outreaching activities outside academia, including museum-collaborations, activities for schools, lab open-doors events and public talks.

As the project features a close collaboration with Dr. Iolanda Leite (KTH Stockholm) and Dr. Daniel Benoit (MoRe Lab, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University), appointed researchers will be required to spend negotiated periods of time at the Division of Robotics, Perception and Learning at KTH (Stockholm), and the More Lab (Lund) to collect and analyse data.

What we offer

Lund University is a government agency, which means that you get special benefits, generous holidays and a favourable occupational pension.

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The MEET-Project

Funded by the LMK styrelsen and led by Dr. Valentina Fantasia, the MEET project aims to advance current understanding of how humans feel in social interactions between robots and children by collecting data on interpersonal synchrony combined with a qualitative assessment of humans’ affective experience/perception of a social robot. The major breakthrough expected from MEET is technology-based advancements in designing and applying social robots in human everyday lives, with a strong ethical and human-centred connotation.

Tasks and responsibilities

At Lund University, a research position shall provide the opportunity for scientific and pedagogical merit. There is primarily scope for merit in research, but also for some higher education pedagogical training. Teaching may also be included in the duties.

As a researcher employed in the project, you will be involved in all research phases, from experimental design to dissemination of results. More specifically, you will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Designing, programming and implementing tailored robotic behaviours through tailored softwares/platforms
• Recruitment and management of study participants
• Data collection and analyses
• Database management and data safety-proofed storage
• Tech-equipment usage and maintainance: hardware and robotic parts; motion-capture and media/video technology
• Coordinating data collection and analyses between Lund University node and KTH node, including travelling to both sites
• Presenting and disseminating scientific results at key conferences and through publications
• Managing and updating the project website
• Teaching in relevant courses
• Supervision/tutoring of both undergraduate and PhD students projects

Qualifications

Requirements for the position are:

Doctoral degree or equivalent foreign degree in Psychology, Robotics, Computer Science. The doctoral degree must have been obtained no later than the date on which the appointment decision is made.

Ability to develop and conduct high-quality research.

Teaching ability demonstrated research expertise in at least one of the following domain:

• Human-robot interaction (HRI)
• Human-computer interaction (HCI)
• Dynamic system theories
• Developmental psychology

The candidate must be proficient in at least one (or more) major programming languages (e.g., C++ or Python) and be able to write well-documented, clean, and maintainable code; excellent English proficiency is required

Required skills/personal qualities: self-motivation, capacity to collaborate and work creatively and independently; basic capacity to engage with children; strong writing skills.

Merits for the position are:

Applicants who graduated no more than three years before the closing date for applications

The following are also highly desiderable:

• Demonstrated expertise in kinematic and multimodal analyses
• Experience with running studies including children
• Experience with robotic middleware and frameworks, such as ROS (Robot Operating System) or ROS 2.

Experience with handling complex software dependencies and integrating software packages from external sources.

Familiarity with kinematic and bodily-based measures and data collection software, such as Motion-Capture.

The assessment of applicants will primarily be based on their scientific merits and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on scientific ability within the subject area.

Other information

The position is a fixed-term position for two years at 75% with a starting 1 of February 2026, with a possibility to extend the working percentage after the first year. A later starting date is also negotiable. Employment at Lund University is based in Sweden, so you are expected to be able to perform your work on site at Lund University and travel to KTH (Stockholm) as specified above.

A position as a researcher is intended as an initial step in your career and as an opportunity to further deepen and broaden your research expertise

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to make to an presentation and interview. Interviews will be conducted in December.

How to apply

Please apply to the position via the university recruitment system (Varbi). Please include the following in your application:

• Motivation letter explaining why you are interested in the position and how the position matches your qualifications (max 2 pages);
• CV (max 4 pages);
• Publication list;
• Full information of two academic references (email, affiliation, phone number, and how is s/he related to you);
• Degree certificates copies (BSc, MSc and PhD certificates)