The Institute of Robotics and Cognitive Systems (directed by Prof. Dr. Floris Ernst, in the junior research group of Prof. Dr. Julia Starke) (www.rob.uni-luebeck.de) at the University of Lübeck is seeking one 

PhD student

in the area of 

Grasping and Manipulation in Assistive Robotics

Assistive robots need to intuitively collaborate with humans and flexibly adapt to the behaviour and preferences of the human. Especially in the context of rehabilitation and medical robotics, the safety and comfort of the user or patient is of utmost importance. Therefore, robots need to sense, interpret and adapt to the human’s actions.

The prospective PhD student will work on methods of semi-autonomous robot control for physical human-robot interaction in complex manipulation tasks. They will tackle challenging research questions in the area of robotic manipulation, motion learning and adaptation as well as shared robot control.

The PhD student working on this topic will receive a three-years scholarship of 1.600€ per month during the first year, 1.650€ during the second year and 1.700€ during the third year, in accordance with the statutes of the “Center for Doctoral Studies Lübeck” (CDSL) at the University of Lübeck. The starting date is negotiable and is aimed for spring 2025.

Please contact Dr. Julia Starke (julia.starke at uni-luebeck.de, +49 451 3101 5221) for any questions.

Requirements

Students with an excellent master's degree in computer science, engineering or a related field are invited to apply for admission. 

Background in robotics, control, machine learning or human-computer interaction is desirable but not required.

Application

A full application consists of: 

1. a detailed CV 
2. a statement of motivation 
3. degree certificates and grade transcripts.

Please submit your application via email to julia.starke at uni-luebeck.de. 

Closing date

The application deadline is February 10, 2025, or until filled.