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The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence group at Luleå University of Technology works in field robotics and tests its methods on robots in real environments. We are now looking for a postdoctoral researcher to develop sensing and autonomy for drones that inspect infrastructure and terrain in Arctic environments such as Greenland, where the flights take place in severe cold. You will work on sensor systems that withstand the arctic cold and, on the localisation, mapping and mission planning methods that depend on them. We value good collaboration skills and an interest in field work in cold climates.

Subject description

Robotics and artificial intelligence aim to develop novel robotic systems that are characterized by advanced autonomy for improving the ability of robots to interact with the surrounding environment and humans during the execution of specific tasks.

Project description

The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) group belongs to the Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering. The group took part in the DARPA Subterranean Challenge with the CoSTAR team led by NASA/JPL. Its applications include robotics for mining, aerial inspection of ageing infrastructure, autonomy for space robotics and multi-robot search and rescue. More information is available at https://www.ltu.se/robotics as well as http://www.fieldrobotics.eu

Drones make it possible to inspect infrastructure and terrain in the Arctic without sending people into dangerous conditions, but the cold affects the hardware the drones depend on. Batteries lose capacity, ice forms on lenses and propellers, and lidar and cameras return degraded data in blowing snow, fog and low sun. At high magnetic latitudes, magnetometers become unreliable for heading, and GNSS reception can be limited in fjords and steep terrain. This position will develop sensing and autonomy that work under these conditions, with drone inspection in environments such as Greenland as the main application.

The research will focus on one or more of the following areas.

Design, characterisation and calibration of cold-hardened sensor payloads for drones, for example lidar, radar, thermal cameras, event cameras and inertial sensors
Multi-sensor state estimation and mapping that accounts for degraded sensor data, for example in snow, fog, low-texture scenes and with unreliable GNSS or magnetometer data
Sensor health monitoring and fault detection, so that the autonomy systems can detect when a sensor can no longer be trusted and adapt to it
Energy- and weather-aware mission planning for inspection flights that accounts for battery behaviour in the cold and for wind
Autonomous inspection of infrastructure and terrain in Arctic settings, with field experiments in cold climates, for example in Greenland and northern Sweden

Duties

The duties of a postdoctoral researcher are primarily research. The research has a substantial experimental part, with work on real drones and field experiments in cold climates that involve travel. You will publish the results in international peer-reviewed journals and at major conferences. The position also includes co-supervision of PhD and master's students and taking part in applications for research funding from funding agencies, the EU framework programme and industry. Teaching may be included for at most one fifth of working time.

Qualifications

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral researcher, you must hold a PhD or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD in robotics, automatic control, computer science, electrical engineering or a related subject. It is a merit if the doctoral degree was awarded no more than three years before the application deadline. Candidates who were awarded their doctoral degree earlier may also be considered if there are special grounds, for example different types of statutory leave.

You need a good knowledge of state estimation, sensor fusion or robot perception, and documented experience of experimental work with drones. Previous work with experimentally verified results in at least one of the research areas above is required. You also need good programming skills in C++ and Python and experience of ROS or ROS 2. Good oral and written English is required, since you will present the group's work in Sweden and abroad.

Experience of sensor integration and drone hardware, of perception with lidar, radar or thermal cameras, of field experiments in cold or harsh environments, or of autonomous inspection missions is a merit.

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed-term position as a postdoctoral researcher for two years, with the possibility of extension to a maximum of three years in total. The position is based in Luleå. The starting date is by agreement.

For further information about the position, please contact

Chaired Professor George Nikolakopoulos, +46 920-49 1298, mailto:

Postdoctoral Researcher, Akash Patel, mailto:

For each position, a preliminary https://www.ltu.se/en/about-the-university/work-with-us/applying-for-a-job#h-Informationonpaytransparency is provided based on the requirements, responsibilities and market conditions of the role.

https://www.ltu.se/en/about-the-university/work-with-us/applying-for-a-job#h-Tradeunioncontacts

In case of different interpretations of the English and Swedish versions of this announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

Application

We prefer that you apply via the application button below. Attach a cover letter, a CV with a list of publications and copies of verified degree certificates. Also include a research plan of at most two pages that describes how you would approach one or more of the research areas above, and the names and contact details of two references. Please mark your application with the reference number below. The application and degree certificates must be written in Swedish or English.

Closing date for applications: 15 November, 2026

Reference number: 5204-2026

Postdoc position in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence