PhD Position Bio-inspired Safe Envelope Sensing and Upset Recovery

This PhD project is conducted within the ERC Consolidator Grant project "ARCS" in which you will collaborate with an international team of researchers to develop a new paradigm in control theory: Artificial Physical Awareness (APA). APA requires that the onboard autopilot can very quickly detect upsets and determine optimal recovery trajectories to prevent loss-of-control. In this PhD project, flying insects will be studied in collaboration with researchers from the University of Marseille with the goal of identifying and modelling their  sensorimotor reflexes. In addition, experiments will be conducted with the aim of discovering whether flying insects employ adaptive internal models to compensate for injuries allowing for quick detection of, and recovery from loss-of-control. The principles behind these reflexes and adaptive internal models will be harnessed in a novel bio-inspired safe envelope detection and recovery methodology for autonomous robots, thereby providing a bio-inspired pathway to developing the APA autopilot.

Requirements:

Need-to-haves
Excellent knowledge of the following fields:

• Bio-inspired robotics, Biophysics, Control Theory, Flight Dynamics, System Identification
• In addition the candidate must have excellent programming skills in the following languages: C++, C, Python, Matlab
• The candidate must have experience with working with insects in laboratory conditions
  
  

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with working with hardware such as drones
• Experience with piloting drones
  
  

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Salary Benefits:

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.
Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.
From 1 September next, a salary increase of 3.7% applies due to a Collective Agreement amendment, followed by an additional 1% increase on 1 January 2025. In addition, most employees employed on 1 September 2024 will receive a one-off payment of €300 gross based on full-time employment.
The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 
For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 2