4 Doctoral Researchers in robotics

Future robots must perceive, predict, communicate, and decide reliably in complex, human–robot shared environments. The Mobile Robotics (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-electrical-engineering-and-automation/mobile-robotics) and Intelligent Robotics (https://irobotics.aalto.fi) groups at Aalto University’s School of Electrical Engineering develop autonomy under imperfect knowledge and uncertain sensing, with emphasis on safe operation among people, socially aware perception and behaviour prediction, and semantic/dynamic environment understanding. Our research environment offers close collaboration with leading academic and industrial partners, access to state-of-the-art robot platforms, full-scale industrial sites, multi-sensor labs, and advanced network testbeds. The teams are highly international, and the working language is English.

We are seeking excellent candidates for doctoral researcher positions to participate in four recently awarded new research endeavours:

• Mobile Robotics - Safe Autonomy in Shared Industrial Environments
  We are seeking an excellent candidate at the doctoral researcher level to develop perception, prediction, and planning methods that enable autonomous machines to operate safely in human-robot shared industrial spaces. The research will model how people and machines move through dynamic environments to support human detection and tracking, spatio-temporal mapping, long-horizon human-motion prediction, and planning under uncertainty. The methodological scope includes probabilistic modeling, SLAM/localization, spatio-temporal representations, and decision-making under uncertainty. The work is part of Autonomy without Fences (AwF, 2026–2029) and will be validated at real sites (ports, underground mines, logistics terminals) with Kalmar, Normet, Sandvik, and KWH Logistics.
  Supervisor: Assistant Professor Tomasz Kucner ([email protected])

• Semantic Communication for Mission-Critical Robotics
  We are seeking an excellent candidate at the doctoral researcher level to co-design task-aware perception and NextG wireless networking so robots exchange meaning rather than raw data. The research will determine what information a robot needs for coordination and feed this into network design. The methodological scope includes multi-robot coordination, task-aware perception and representation, semantic and goal-oriented communication, and NextG mechanisms (e.g., slicing, time-sensitive networking). The work is funded by a Finland-US joint project in partnership with MIT, Stevens Institute, Nokia Bell Labs, and pilots with leading Finnish companies.
  Supervisor: Assistant Professor Tomasz Kucner ([email protected])

• Distributed Situational Awareness and Semantic Scene Understanding
  We are seeking an excellent candidate at the doctoral researcher level to co-design edge and centralized intelligence for mission-critical situational awareness in dynamic environments. You will build and maintain real-time semantic 3D scene representations across heterogeneous sensors and robots, deciding what to infer locally and what to aggregate centrally, how to communicate semantics efficiently, and how to update, query, and predict scene state as conditions change. The research will focus on multimodal perception (vision–language models), probabilistic state estimation and 3D mapping/SLAM, and graph-based representations (scene/knowledge graphs). The work is funded by a Finland-US joint project in partnership with MIT, Stevens Institute, Nokia Bell Labs, and pilots with leading Finnish companies.
  Supervisors: Dr. Francesco Verdoja ([email protected]) and Prof. Ville Kyrki ([email protected])

• Socially Aware Perception and Behavior Prediction
  We are seeking an excellent candidate at the doctoral researcher level to develop socially aware perception and behavior-prediction methods for autonomous systems operating in dynamic environments shared with humans. The research will investigate how autonomous systems can combine sensory information with contextual and behavioral cues to understand human actions, anticipate future behavior, and reason under uncertainty. The methodological scope includes machine learning, computer vision, multimodal perception, probabilistic modeling, and interpretable artificial intelligence. The research will be conducted in collaboration with leading national and international academic partners and validated using real-world and simulated autonomous-system scenarios.
  Supervisors: Dr. Farzeen Munir (PI, [email protected]) and Prof. Ville Kyrki ([email protected])

What we expect from you

• Requirements:

  • M.Sc. (or equivalent) in Robotics, Communications/EE, Computer Science, Control, ML/AI, Mechatronics, or Applied Mathematics;

  • strong analytical and writing skills;

  • solid programming and mathematical skills (Python/C++, ROS valued);

  • fluent English.

• Position-specific plus: mobile robot perception, SLAM, motion prediction, and field-robotics experience with willingness to work at industrial sites in Finland (Safe Autonomy); wireless communications (5G/6G, slicing, TSN), information theory, and interest in how autonomy requirements shape NextG network design (Semantic Communication).

If you are chosen for any of these positions, you will apply for the study right in doctoral studies at Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. Thus, please see the student information and admission criteria at https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-options/aalto-doctoral-programme-in-electrical-engineering.

What we offer

• Fully funded position with full benefits. The salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the salary system of Finnish universities. The starting salary for a doctoral researcher is 3143 €/month.

• The position is fixed term and follows school’s standard 2+2 model for doctoral researchers. The contract will be made initially for two years, with a six-month probationary period, and extended by further two years after a successful mid-term review, thus giving it a total duration of four years.

• The start date is as soon as possible.

• Close collaboration with industry and leading international academic partners.

• Access to full-scale platforms, operational sites, and network testbeds.

• International exchange opportunities.

Ready to apply?

If you want to apply, please submit your application through our recruitment site (”Apply now!” at the bottom of the page) at the latest on Wednesday 30.9.2026 (23.59 EEST). 

To apply, please share the following application materials in English and in pdf-format with us:

• Motivation letter

• CV including information of at least two referees.

• Copy of your academic transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

Please indicate in the application form which position(s) you are interested in.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via our internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions). If you are a student or visitor at Aalto University, please apply with your personal email address (not aalto.fi) via Aalto University open positions.

If you wish to hear more about the positions, you can reach out to the people mentioned at each position. For questions related to the application process, please contact HR Advisor Johanna Haapalainen ([email protected]).

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