Doctoral student in Precision robotics and control Full-time

Doctoral Student In Precision Robotics And Control

Third-cycle subject: Industrial Production

Industrial robots are used in safety-critical and dynamic environments where high demands are placed on reliability and precision. This doctoral project focuses on advanced control of industrial robots for high-precision applications such as machining, robot-assisted surgery, orthopedics, and scientific investigations. The goal is to develop new capabilities in industrial robots, particularly self-verifying systems that can detect deviations and autonomously adapt their control strategies.

The work includes developing methods to understand how the mechanical and dynamic properties of robots change under varying conditions, using advanced signal analysis, AI, metrology, calibration, and digital twins. A central component is the development of virtual environments for simulating, testing, and validating calibration methods before they are implemented in real systems. These environments enable the generation of synthetic sensor data, safe evaluation of calibration algorithms, and improved accuracy of digital twins.

We are seeking a motivated doctoral student with a background in computer science, mechatronics, robotics, or related fields, and with an interest in both model-based and data-driven approaches. The project is funded by KTH and XPRES and carried out in close collaboration with a university in Tokyo under the supervision of Professor Kanako Harada. Parts of the doctoral studies will take place in Japan.

The doctoral student will join the Precision Engineering and Metrology (PEM) research group, a dynamic environment of around 15 researchers and doctoral students working with reliability, measurement instrument design, robot calibration, integrated sensor systems, simulations, and new control strategies for industrial and biomedical robot applications.

Supervision: Prof. Andreas Archenti 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,
• analyze and work with complex issues and
• demonstrating scientific writing skills through publications.

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

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. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

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.

Union Representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral Student's Network (Students' Union On KTH Royal Institute Of Technology)

Contact information for PhD chapter.

To Apply For The Position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must include the following elements:

• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Other Information

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant's consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

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Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

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