Robotic Inspection Engineer (815697)

FTE: 1 (35 hours/week)

Term:  Fixed Term (12 months)

The project has been funded through the Accelerator for Cumbria and Oxfordshire Robotics in Nuclear (acorn.ac.uk) and the academic research theme of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo), a partnership between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Sellafield Ltd and The University of Manchester. RAICo aims to accelerate the development and deployment of robotics and AI technologies for nuclear decommissioning and operates from the RAICo1 facility in Whitehaven, Cumbria. 

The post will be based primarily at the RAICo1 site and will work in close collaboration with researchers from Strathclyde’s SEARCH laboratory and a growing community of robotics and AI researchers based within RAICo1.

Although initially advertised as a 1-year position, there is strong potential for extension subject to project success and anticipated follow-on funding.

The project will address the challenge of remotely inspecting hazardous and difficult-to-access infrastructure across the nuclear estate through the development of advanced robotic inspection systems. Building upon two successful phases of RAICo-funded research, the project will further develop a robotic inspection capability combining immersive telepresence, 3D reconstruction, robotically deployed ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE), and AI-assisted inspection workflows. 

The successful candidate will contribute to the development of immersive VR-based inspection systems that integrate live and historical inspection data within a virtual environment to improve operator awareness, inspection repeatability, and real-time decision making. The role will also involve developing AI-assisted tools for inspection interpretation, integrating inspection sensors with robotic manipulators, and supporting the transition of research demonstrators into deployment-ready systems suitable for operational nuclear environments.

As a Research Associate, you will play a key role in the technical delivery of the project under the supervision of Prof Gordon Dobie and Prof Gareth Pierce. Dr William Jackson will provide hands-on technical mentoring and leadership throughout the project.

The role will involve close collaboration with engineers and researchers from the University of Strathclyde, RAICo,FIS360, Sellafield Ltd and other industrial stakeholders to develop and validate proof-of-concept robotic inspection systems for real-world deployment.

Applicants should hold a PhD in robotics, autonomous systems, inspection, AI, computer vision, or a closely related discipline, or possess equivalent industrial or research experience alongside a relevant degree. Experience in one or more of the following areas would be advantageous:

• Robotic manipulation and teleoperation
• ROS and robotic software development
• VR systems
• Localisation and mapping
• Computer vision and AI for robotics
• Non-destructive evaluation and inspection technologies
• Deployment of robotic systems in challenging environments

You should have strong organisational, interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and communicate complex technical ideas to a range of audiences.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge robotics research with direct industrial impact across the UK nuclear sector.

Formal interviews for this post will be held on a date to be confirmed.

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Gordon Dobie, Professor gordon.dobie@strath.ac.uk

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