Post Doctoral Research Associate in Safety for Autonomous Robots

Salary: From £36,333 per annum
This post is fixed term for 24 months and full time at 1.0 FTE
Closing Date: Sunday 18 June 2023
Interview Date: Wednesday 05 July 2023

We are seeking a Research Associate with a research profile in Safety for Autonomous Robots to join our Agri-robotics research team. 

The University of Lincoln robotics team is working alongside industry partners including APS Produce Ltd, Dogtooth Technologies Ltd, Wootzano Ltd, and Xihelm Ltd to deliver an accelerated programme of robotic crop harvesting for horticulture. This project will facilitate open and standardized access to components providing key functionality such as autonomy, safety, and perception, enabling rapid adoption by the industry and academia. The principle will be demonstrated by developing commercial robotic systems for tomato and strawberry harvesting.

One of the key components of the project is ensuring the safe operation of autonomous mobile agricultural robots, with a particular emphasis on applications in horticulture that requires robotic platforms to share the workspace with human co-workers. For that purpose, we are looking to recruit a Research Associate with interest and experience in at least one of the following research areas:

• Collaborative mobile robots in unstructured or semi-structured environments;
• Human-aware and context-aware navigation for mobile robots;
• Human sensing systems for safe and explainable physical human-robot interactions;
• Modelling and formal verification of safety requirements for autonomous mobile robots;
• Monitoring systems for online fault detection

As the applicant, you should demonstrate to have:

• A PhD in a relevant area (or expect to soon obtain the PhD);
• A track record of research publication in relevant journals and/or conferences such as IJRR, RSS, ICRA, IROS, HRI.
• Excellent mathematical and coding skills (C++/Python);
• Experience in programming robots and sensor integration using middleware such as ROS or ROS 2;
• Knowledge of version control systems (GIT);
• Expertise in running or analysing experiments with human participants

This opportunity will give you access to state-of-the-art research farms equipped with industrial standard production facilities, as well as agricultural robots with advanced sensors and tools. Opportunities to mentor and co-supervise PhD students working in the project team will also be available to outstanding candidates.

We have excellent opportunities for ongoing career development and progression, and also offer a wide range of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave allowance, progressive pay rates, access to discounts at popular stores and more. 

Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Dr Leonardo Guevara (email: lguevara@lincoln.ac.uk).

We are committed to advancing gender equality in STEM, and female applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

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Further details:

• Job Description and Person Specification

You can find out more about working at Lincoln, and everything that we have to offer, at: 

https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/jobopportunities/

We strive for a diverse workforce with the very best employees and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. The University encourages applications from underrepresented groups inclusive of Black, Asian and other minoritised/marginalised ethnic groups, all gender identities and expressions from the LGBT+ community, candidates with a disability, and those that practise different faiths and beliefs, to enhance our One Community where we strive to be kind, patient, and supportive of each other.

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