Post doctor (2 years) within “Human-Robot-Collaboration”

The Department of Computing Science is looking for a postdoctoral researcher in Human-Robot Collaboration within the WASP project, led by Assoc. Prof. Zoe Falomir. The position is full-time for two years, starting May 1, 2025, or as agreed.

Department of Computing Science

Our department conducts world-leading research in several scientific fields, and it has been growing rapidly in the recent years. An inclusive and participatory environment are key elements in our growth. The 60 doctoral students within the department are a diverse group from different nationalities, backgrounds and fields. We offer very good employment conditions, and administrative and technical support, among other benefits. See more information at: https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-computing-science/

You will research in collaboration with the Associate Professor Zoe Falomir.

Interested? Submit your application by April 18, 2025.

Project description and working tasks

This project proposes the implementation of a cognitive agent embodied in a humanoid robot which will collaborate with a human partner or with another humanoid robot to solve a spatial problem (e.g.  3D puzzle). The tasks to be carried out are: (i) scene understanding: detection of objects and relations between objects, and use of these relations to infer new knowledge (i.e. reasoning); (ii) explore object affordances, learn the consequences of the actions carried out and enrich the knowledge base (i.e. learning by interaction); (iii) querying the knowledge base about what was useful in the past to predict actions that might be useful in the present, try them out and update its knowledge base (i.e. update learning).

This postdoctoral position is funded by Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP). WASP is Sweden’s largest individual research program ever, a major national initiative for strategically motivated basic research, education and faculty recruitment. Read more: https://wasp-sweden.org/

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is nearby. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

To be appointed under the agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow, the candidate is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision.

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their degree, in accordance with what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years ago. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree earlier than that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organisations, military service or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.

Postdoctoral fellows who are to teach or supervise must have taken relevant courses in teaching and learning in higher education.

Other desirable qualifications:

Documented expertise in the following topics of interest is a requirement:

• Human-robot-interaction: (Bartneck, C., Belpaeme, T., Eyssel, F., Kanda, T., Keijsers, M., & Sabanovic, S. (2024). Human-Robot Interaction – An Introduction. (2nd edition) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
• Experience in programming humanoid platforms (e.g. ROS 2, etc.)

It is highly meritorious if you have also experience in:

• Cognitive robotics
• cognitive architectures (D. Vernon, Artificial Cognitive Systems, MIT Press (2014)).

Important personal qualities are, besides creativity and critical thinking, good skills in problem solving, interest in interdisciplinary research, the ability to work both independently and in a group, and experience in scientific interaction with researchers from other disciplines and in other countries. The working language in the group (and at the department) will be English.

Application

A full application should include:

• Cover letter describing your research interests, project ideas, and contact information.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list including DOI links,
• Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
• Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
• Copy of doctoral thesis and up to 5 relevant articles,
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.
• Contact information to two persons willing to act as references.

The application must be written in English or Swedish. The application is made through our electronic recruitment system. Documents sent electronically must be in Word or PDF format. Log in to the system and apply via the button at the end of this page. The closing date is 18th April 2025.