Together, Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences form a higher education community that places faith in people and scientific knowledge. Leading experts in the fields of technology, health and society are changing the world at Finland’s second largest multidisciplinary higher education institution. www.tuni.fi/en

The Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Tampere University (TAU) is inviting applications for a Tenure-Track position in Automation Technology, with the focus on Non-road Multi-Robot Systems. The position is open at the levels of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, depending on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

The position is closely linked with the Finnish mobile machine industry. The industry employs 45,000 people, generates €19 billion in revenue, and accounts for over 10% of national goods and services exports. It supports key sectors such as forestry, mining, agriculture, construction, material and cargo handling, and defence. Research is a strategic asset for Finland’s mobile machine industry. 

The unit of Automation Technology and Mechanical Engineering (link) is one of the three units of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (link) at TAU. Our unit conducts research and offers education in automation, hydraulics, machine design, product development, mechatronics, robotics, control and systems theory, industrial informatics and production engineering and technology. There are three education tracks provided by our unit: Automation, Robotics, and Mechanical Engineering. We have approximately 190 employees, 16 of whom are professors on different levels of our tenure-track system. The unit has a strong international dimension, and more than 40% of our staff are non-Finnish nationals. The scientific research of TAU has been actively engaged with industry and the unit has a strong track record in producing research that leads to real-world applications. Strong collaboration with companies enables progress in key areas such as automation, digitalization, materials science, and sustainable engineering.

Job description

We seek an ambitious and visionary researcher to strengthen our expertise in multi-robot systems for non-road environments. The successful candidate will develop novel methods and technologies enabling collaborative autonomy among heterogeneous robotic platforms operating in challenging outdoor conditions such as agriculture, mining, construction, logistics, forestry, and material and cargo handling.

This position supports TAU’s strategic commitment to sustainability and industrial renewal and Finland’s National Mobile Machine Growth Strategy. The successful candidate will advance research and education in multi-robot systems for non-road environments, with a strong emphasis on resource efficiency, human-centric automation, and industrial collaboration.

Your research may focus on lifelong coordination of multiple non-road robots with constraints and task assignments with any of the following themes or a combination thereof:

• Cooperative multi robot systems in dynamic and unstructured environments (land, aerial, marine, or hybrid)
• Distributed decision-making, task allocation, and worksite optimization under uncertainty
• Energy-aware and resource-efficient collaboration strategies for fleets of autonomous machines
• Multirobot sensor fusion and motion planning

Empirical research, technology piloting, validation, and industrial-scale deployment have an important role in this position.

If successful, you will be placed at the level of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor, based on your experience and expertise. While in the early stages of your career the focus is on research, building your own research group and supervision of doctoral student, in time you will be expected to contribute increasingly to teaching, curriculum development, and BSc and MSc student supervision. It is common that MSc and even BSc students join research groups as research assistant, providing them enthusiasm towards further studies. 

You are expected to pursue and supervise research in your topical area. Active collaboration with local, national, and global research partners, as well as industry is encouraged. Also, you are encouraged to foster synergy across research groups of the unit through joint projects and shared infrastructure. You are expected to secure external funding for your research as well as nurture interactions with relevant stakeholders for societal impact.

Requirements 

• You should have a doctoral degree in Automation Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics or a related field.
• Strong research background related to the position
• Strong knowledge of sustainable technologies, processes and systems, and of tools and methodologies for their evaluation. 
• Fluent in English  
• Good cooperation and interaction skills.

Further requirements for each tenure track level are as follows:

Assistant Professor

• ability to undertake high-level scholarly activity and potential to establish an independent agenda of scholarly activity at international level of excellence
• teaching skills required to successfully perform the duties and functions of the position

Associate Professor 

• track record of independent scholarly activity on a high international level 
• teaching skills required to successfully perform the duties and functions of the position  
• ability to lead a research group and acquire external funding. 

Professor

• high-level scholarly expertise 
• experience of leading scientific research activities
• ability to provide high-quality research-based education and instruction 
• track record of winning external research funding  
• track record of international scholarly activity

Please, read more about our Tenure track career path here.

We offer

We invite you to be a part of a vibrant, active and truly international research community.  The multidisciplinary research environment offers opportunities to develop research expertise via collaboration, e.g., with different fields of engineering and natural sciences.  We offer advanced infrastructure in many fields of Automation Technology.

Initial appointment as Assistant Professor / Associate Professor is for five years. Subject to successful performance, you will become a tenured faculty member after the first five-year period. Full Professors will hold a permanent appointment from the outset. A trial period of six months applies to all our new employees. 

You will be supported by a start-up package that will ease your transition to TAU and in setting up your research group. The start-up package will be negotiated on the basis of your individual needs.

Salaries are based on the job demands and employees’ personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System. A typical starting salary for an Assistant Professor is approximately 4700-5200 EUR/month, for an Associate Professor approximately 5400-6100 EUR/month, and for a Professor in the range between 6500-7300 EUR/month. Higher salaries may be negotiated for candidates with exceptional experience and/or performance.

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more about working at Tampere University. You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community – our academic playground

TAU is a unique, multidisciplinary, forward-thinking and evolving community. Our values are openness, critical thinking, diversity, learner-centredness, courage, erudition and responsibility. We hope you can embrace these values and promote them in your role.

The city of Tampere is one of the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries and offers a dynamic living environment. Finland provides one of the most advanced and comprehensive social security systems in the world with generous parental leaves, very affordable state-subsidized daycare that is available for all children, world-renowned free primary and secondary education as well as public healthcare.

For more information on Tampere and Finland, please visit:

• https://visittampere.fi/en
• https://www.visitfinland.com/
• https://www.infofinland.fi/en/frontpage

How to apply 

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system (link below). The closing date for applications is December 8^th, 2025 (at 23.59 EET, UTC+2 / 21.59 GMT). 

Please write your application and all accompanying documents in English and attach them in PDF format. Applications should include the following documents: 

• A letter of motivation in which you set out the reasons why you are applying for the position and why you are particularly suited to it.
• Curriculum Vitae according to TENK guidelines
• List of publications according to Research Council of Finland guidelines. Please indicate your ten most important publications.
• A research plan (max. 5 pages), outlining your proposed research
• Teaching portfolio prepared according to TAU Guidelines on the teaching portfolio
• The names, positions and contact details of two referees who can support your application (recommendations letters etc. are not asked at this point)

Candidates may be invited for a video interview during the first stage of the recruitment process. The most qualified candidates will be invited to Tampere University for an interview and may undergo an aptitude assessment. They will also undergo a review by external experts and may be required to give a demonstration of their teaching skills.

For more information, please contact: 

Dean of the Faculty Martti Kauranen, martti.kauranen@tuni.fi

Prof. Matti Vilkko, matti.vilkko@tuni.fi

*** 

Tampereen yliopisto ja Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu muodostavat korkeakouluyhteisön, joka uskoo ihmiseen ja tieteeseen. Tekniikan, terveyden ja yhteiskunnan huippuosaajat muuttavat maailmaa Suomen toiseksi suurimmassa monitieteisessä ja innostavassa tutkimus- ja oppimisympäristössä.  www.tuni.fi

Haemme Automaatiotekniikka, erityisesti tieliikennekäytön ulkopuoliset monirobottijärjestelmät   alueelle apulaisprofessoria (Assistant/Associate Professor) tai professoria. Tehtävät sijoittuvat Tekniikan ja luonnontieteiden tiedekunnan Automaatio- ja konetekniikan yksikköön.  

Tehtävänkuvaus 

Haemme automaatiotekniikan tenure track -tehtävään apulaisprofessoria (assistant, associate) tai professoria vahvistamaan robottijärjestelmien osaamistamme. Valittu henkilö kehittää uusia menetelmiä ja teknologioita autonomisia robotti- ja monirobottijärjestelmiä varten, joita käytetään haastavissa olosuhteissa, kuten esimerkiksi maataloudessa, kaivoksissa, rakentamisessa, metsätaloudessa ja materiaalien ja lastin käsittelyssä.

Tämä tehtävä tukee Tampereen yliopiston strategista sitoutumista kestävään kehitykseen ja teolliseen uudistumiseen sekä kansalliseen Suomen liikkuvien työkoneiden kasvustrategiaan. Valittu henkilö edistää tutkimusta ja opetusta monirobottijärjestelmissä keskittyen vahvasti resurssitehokkuuteen, ihmiskeskeiseen automaatioon ja teollisiin sovelluksiin ja yhteistyöhön.

Tutkimuksesi voi keskittyä useiden robottien elinkaaren aikaiseen koordinointiin, ottaen huomioon rajoitteet ja tehtävien jakamisen, seuraavien teemojen puitteissa tai niiden yhdistelmänä:

• Yhteistoiminnalliset monirobottijärjestelmät dynaamisissa ja jäsentymättömissä ympäristöissä (maa-, ilma-, meriympäristöt tai niiden yhdistelmät)
• Hajautettu päätöksenteko ja tehtävien jako epävarmuuden vallitessa
• Energia ja resurssitehokkaat yhteistyöstrategiat autonomisille koneille
• Monirobottien sensorifuusio ja liikkumisen suunnittelu

Empiirisellä tutkimuksella, teknologian pilotoinnilla, validoinnilla ja teollisen mittakaavan käyttöönotolla on tärkeä rooli tässä tehtävässä.

Tehtävän valittava henkilö nimitetään apulaisprofessorin (Assistant, Associate), tai professorin tasolle kokemuksen ja asiantuntemuksen perusteella. Uran alkuvaiheessa painopiste on tutkimuksessa, oman tutkimusryhmän rakentamisessa ja tohtoriopiskelijoiden ohjauksessa. Ajan myötä valitulta odotetaan yhä enemmän panosta opetukseen, opetussuunnitelmien kehittämiseen sekä kandidaatti- ja maisteriopiskelijoiden ohjaukseen.

Hakuohjeet 

Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävästä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta. 

Jätäthän hakemuksesi yliopiston sähköisellä hakulomakkeella (linkki löytyy tämän ilmoituksen alta).  

Hakuaika tehtävään päättyy 8. joulukuuta, 2025 klo 23.59.