The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university which offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education.

1-2 Fully-Funded Doctoral candidate/Project researcher positions for AI/ML Multi-Sensor Fusion in Aerial Robotic Swarms

R3Swarms: robust, resilient and reconfigurable swarms

We are opening 1-2 fully-funded fixed-term doctoral candidate/project researcher positions at the Turku Intelligent Embedded and Robotic Systems (TIERS) Research Group, University of Turku, Finland (tiers.utu.fi).

The position is part of the R3Swarms project – Robust, Resilient and Reconfigurable Swarms, with a focus on security and resilience of distributed intelligence, human-swarm interaction and situated communication. Particular interest is put to swarms of heterogeneous aerial robots or drones with different capabilities and working together with ground robots. The candidate for this position is expected to work at the interection of these topics:

-  Deep learning for swarm-wide situational awareness

-  Multi-source multi-sensor data fusion methods

-  Reconfigurable edge-fog-cloud intelligence

-  Lightweight deep learning at the edge for anomaly detection.

-  Heterogeneous swarms of aerial and ground robots.

The doctoral candidate is expected to pursue a PhD degree while working for the project, as well as supervising Master students and supporting teaching activities for advanced courses at the Department of Computing, University of Turku.

The positions are fixed-term ending 15.05.2024. The work is full-time and will start as soon as possible according to a mutual agreement, even as early as 1.1.2022.

Eligibility

What we expect from the candidate:

-  Independence, collaboration and analytical skills

-  Motivation to work in a multinational and interdisciplinary team on multi-robot systems, embedded AI, edge computing and  DLTs.

-  Background in relevant fields, such as mathematics, computer science, physics, computer or mechanical engineering, or another relevant field.

-  Experience in Python and C++ programming.

-  Fluent English proficiency.

In addition, we expect experience with machine learning frameworks, and deployment of models for inference in embedded platforms. We also consider knowledge of the following topics as an advantage:

-  Distributed machine learning, reinforcement learning and/or federated learning.

-  Experience with machine learning applications for mobile robots, specially drones.

-  Experience in fault detection algorithms.

-  Practical hands-on experience with mobile robots and specifically drones.

-  Experience with control systems and optimization algorithms

We expect researchers to jointly carry out interdisciplinary research across the different fields and leverage the opportunities for collaboration.

The qualification requirements of the positions are stated in the University of Turku Rules of Procedure:
https://www.utu.fi/en/university/organisation

A person selected for the post of Doctoral candidate/Project researcher is required to have a higher university degree (MSc or MSc tech degree). The degree must be completed by the end of the application period. If the selected person already has a right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Turku, (s)he must also have an accepted research plan. In addition, when acquiring his or her degree or otherwise, he or she is required to have demonstrated the ability and motivation to undertake postgraduate studies and the capacity to complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan. If the person does not have a right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Turku, (s)he must apply the right from the University of Turku graduate school in Spring 2022.

About the TIERS Research Group

The Turku Intelligent Embedded and Robotic Systems research group (https://tiers.utu.fi) works within the fields of autonomous robots and edge computing, with a focus on developing robust and resilient multi-robot systems to be deployed in real-world conditions. Our research is put in action with a fleet of 40+ micro aerial vehicles, 3 large UAVs (DJI Matrice 300 RTK, DJI S1000) as well as other medium-sized UAVs. These are supported by several ground platforms (Clearpath Husky UGV and others), robotic manipulators (2x Franka Emika Panda cobots) and testing facilities with a motion capture system.

From the algorithmic point of view, our research is in the areas of collaborative autonomy, distributed perception, localization and navigation in GNSS-denied environments and collaborative sensing. Applications include search and rescue, exploration of unstructured and unknown environments and autonomous delivery robots. Within the edge computing domain, we carry out research on lightweight and embedded machine learning, computational offloading orchestration, blockchain and DLT technologies and distribution of computational load in large-scale distributed robotic systems.

Salary and How to Apply

The salary is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel. For a doctoral candidate/project researcher the salary will be on the job demands chart on levels 2-4, where the task-specific salary component is 2078,27–2591,28 euro per month. In addition, a personal work performance component will be paid. The personal performance component is a 6% - 50% of the task-specific salary component.

A six (6) month trial period applies to the positions.

Applications must be submitted at the latest on Wednesday 15/12/2021 (23:59) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku at the following address: https://www.utu.fi/careers

The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement (“Apply for the job”).

Please include with your application:

1. A motivation letter (1 page),
2. CV (max. 2 pages),
3. List of publications (if applicable) Please see the instructions
4. Verification of language proficiency. Not mandatory, but IF you already have one include it in the application. NOTE, for doctoral candidate positions, when applying to the University of Turku graduate school, you must have good English language skills and a certificate that proves those skills. See the list of accepted International English language tests here.
5. Copies of degree certificates with translation in English or Finnish (if applicable)
6. Study transcripts
7. Contact information for 1-2 referees (name, affiliation, email)
8. Other documents that may affect the decision-making. For example, information about grants, prizes and recommendation letters that the applicant wishes to present, to indicate the eligibility and merits for the applied position.

For further information about the positions, please contact Associate Professor Tomi Westerlund, tomi.westerlund@utu.fi. Regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR Specialist Nina Reini, nina.reini@utu.fi.