Sweden : PhD student position in Robotics: Sensing and grasping for agriculture and forestry

Umeå University, Department of Computing Science, is seeking outstanding candidates for a PhD student position in Robotics. The robotics group at the department conducts research in field robotics and cognitive robotics. The research is performed within national and international projects, including EU FP7 funded projects in close collaboration with major industrial and academic partners.

The current PhD position is part of CROpS, an EU funded project with 15 partners. The aim of the project is to develop software and hardware for robotized selective harvesting of fruit (i.e., to detect the fruit, determine its ripeness, move towards it, grasp it and softly detach it). Another application is targeted spraying on foliage and selected targets. The project will also develop techniques for reliable detection and classification of obstacles and other objects to enable successful autonomous navigation and operation in plantations and forests.

The successful applicant will work with a selection of the following research tasks:
Sensing and perception in agriculture and forest environments:

• Detection, classification, estimation of object properties, and estimation of ground bearing capacity
  
• Adaptive sensor fusion and learning in sensing
  
• An interactive tool for customization and adaption of the perception system

Learning in grasping of fruits with robot manipulators:

• Combination of grasp sequences into parameterized high-level skills, where parameters for instance may describe the relative position and shape of the target object
  
• A behaviour editor to serve as an interface for human-robot interaction in the learning process

A significant part of the work will involve international collaboration and integration of research results in the CROpS system. The position includes a competitive salary for a period of four years research time, provided that expected study and research results are achieved. The positions may also include part-time work (up to 20%) as teaching assistant. If so, the total time for the position is extended accordingly (up to a maximum of five years).

Prerequisites include either (i) 240 ECTS credits (Swe. Högskolepoäng) of higher education studies of which 60 should be on advanced level (Master level) in computing science or similar relevant field, or (ii) 120 Swedish (old) credits (Swe. Poäng; corresponding to 180 ECTS credits) of higher education studies if they were taken before July 1, 2007 or equivalent competence.

In addition to excellent study results, fluency in written and spoken English is required. Experience in pattern classification and robotics are merits. Industrial experience and good programming skills are also considered highly valuable.

Anticipated start date: October 1, 2010.

Questions about the position will be answered by Dr. Thomas Hellström: thomash@cs.umu.se.

Union information is available from SACO, +46-(0)90-786 53 65, SEKO, +46-(0)90-786 52 96 and ST, +46-(0)90-786 54 31.

A complete application should include:

• Introductory letter with a statement of research interest
  
• CV
  
• If applicable, copy of completed MSc thesis
  
• Copies of degree certificates, including documentation of academic courses and grades
  
• If applicable , copies of original research publications
  
• Documentation of software development experience
  
• Contact information to three persons willing to act as references
  
• Any other information relevant for the position

A copy of the application should also be sent to thomash@cs.umu.se.

Your complete application, marked with reference number 313-678-10, should be sent to jobb@umu.se (state the reference number as subject) or to the registrar, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden to arrive August 2,2010 at the latest.

Application Deadline : 2 August 2010

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Posted on 2010-07-26 13:28:34

The announced deadline for above scholarship is expired and new applications may no longer be accepted. The notice is available for reference purpose only.

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