Doctoral student in high-level planning and control for multi-satellite space missions Full-time

Doctoral Student In High-Level Planning And Control For Multi-Satellite Space Missions

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Project Description

Third-cycle subject: Electrical Engineering

The project involves:

1. mission specification and planning for space robotic systems;
2. integrating real-time replanning and control strategies;
3. decentralized multi-agent control under sensing and communication limitations; and
4. experimental validation of cooperative motion and manipulation applications in the KTH Space Robotic Lab.

High-level mission specifications will be defined using formal languages such as Signal Temporal Logic and nominal formula satisfying trajectories will be derived. Run-time changes in trajectory feasibility or mission objectives call for replanning strategies that automatically decide whether to change the original plan per agent or modify the controller accordingly. The derived trajectories should be tracked by controllers that will be designed in a decentralized way and subject to the limited sensing and communication capabilities within the group of agents.

The doctoral student will develop novel algorithms for distributed multi-agent planning and control under complex tasks that account for these features and are particularly suitable for the space environment, using tools from multi-agent planning and control, hybrid control systems, formal methods and game theory. The proposed methods will be tested in simulation and on hardware in the KTH Space Robotics Lab.

The PhD student will participate in the newly found Swedish Space Research School (SSRS) and follow the relevant courses and activities therein.

Supervision: Dimos Dimarogonas is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

The preferable candidate has a strong background in automatic control, applied mathematics, space technology or robotics.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Target Degree: Doctoral Degree

Information Regarding Admission And Employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH's Doctoral student salary agreement. Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) | KTH | Sweden.