Postdoc in Generative AI for humanoid assistive robots Full-time

Postdoc in ÄMNESOMRÅDE

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher with an interest in generative AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and human–robot interaction. You will work within a newly awarded project at the Department of Speech, Music and Hearing at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at KTH. TMH is an internationally recognized research environment in speech and language technology, with a particular focus on multimodal interaction with social robots. The newly launched Promobilia-funded project SAInt : Situated Agentic Interaction aims to develop and evaluate humanoid assistive robots capable of understanding context, learning through interaction, and providing proactive support. The goal is to contribute to reducing the care gap for older adults and people with special needs. Within the five-year project, the doctoral student will collaborate with researchers and doctoral students at the Department of Robotics, Perception and Learning . The overall objective of SAInt is to move beyond traditional robotics for support and assistance, which rely on explicit command structures, and instead develop agentic systems capable of contextual understanding, inferring user goals through natural multimodal communication, and collaborating proactively as an integrated part of everyday activities. Your task is to develop and evaluate a dialogue architecture that moves beyond reactive systems and enables the humanoid robot to understand user goals, actions, ongoing activities, and cognitive states, in order to determine when and how verbal and physical assistance should be provided.

Requirements:

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree in computer science, machine learning, computational linguistics, robotics, human–computer interaction, or a closely related field. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made.
• Documented experience in experimentally evaluating robots that interact through speech.
• Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, PyTorch).
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team.

Preferred qualifications:

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline
• Previous experience in developing and evaluating robots that interact through speech training is highly meritorious. Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.
• Awareness of diversity and equal opportunity issues, with specific focus on gender equality

Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

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