Senior Robotics Engineer / Postdoctoral Researcher 60-100 %

ZHAW International; Winterthur; Hybrid; CHF 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW in Zurich is seeking a Senior Robotics Engineer / Postdoctoral Researcher to advance embodied AI for real-world robotic systems. The role focuses on deploying reinforcement learning and robot foundation models on humanoid and quadruped platforms, bridging lab research with industry collaborations.

You will publish results and contribute to open-source code while collaborating with Swiss and EU partners on applied research projects funded by Innosuisse

Qualifications

• PhD in robotics or in computer science with a focus on AI for robotics.
• Hands-on experience with real robots, including prototyping and modifying robots with off-the-shelf equipment.
• Strong programming with ROS / ROS 2, Nav2, MoveIt, PCL, OpenCV, the NVIDIA Jetson ecosystem and current deep learning frameworks.
• Fluency in English; German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• You conduct applied research and development as a senior robotics engineer / postdoctoral researcher in the Embodied Mobile Agents (EMA) research group, deploying reinforcement learning and VLA/WAM policies on humanoid and quadruped robots in the real world.
• You drive our current focus topics: flexible industrial automation through agentic embodied AI systems, robotic foundation models and reinforcement learning for mobile manipulation.
• In a new project, we will be looking into lowering the entry barrier to robot teleoperation and imitation learning for non-technical users through automated dataset curation and real-time feedback.
• You turn results into publications and open-source code contributions.
• You collaborate with companies, universities and other partners in Switzerland and the EU.

Skills

Reinforcement learning

Imitation learning

Robot foundation models

Motion planning

Perception

Navigation

Teleoperation

ROS

ROS 2

Nav2

MoveIt

PCL

OpenCV

NVIDIA Jetson

Deep learning frameworks

Education

PhD in robotics

PhD in computer science with AI for robotics

Tools

ROS

ROS 2

Nav2

MoveIt

PCL

OpenCV

NVIDIA Jetson

Job description

Senior Robotics Engineer / Postdoctoral Researcher 60-100 %

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher or senior robotics engineer. Take humanoid and quadruped robots out of the lab and into industry: with Swiss partners, you deploy reinforcement learning, robot foundation models and agentic systems in the real world.

School: School of Engineering
Starting date: January 2027 or by appointment.

• You conduct applied research and development as a senior robotics engineer / postdoctoral researcher in the Embodied Mobile Agents (EMA) research group, deploying reinforcement learning and VLA/WAM policies on humanoid and quadruped robots in the real world.
• You drive our current focus topics: flexible industrial automation through agentic embodied AI systems, robotic foundation models and reinforcement learning for mobile manipulation. In a new project, we will be looking into lowering the entry barrier to robot teleoperation and imitation learning for non-technical users through automated dataset curation and real-time feedback.
• You turn results into publications and open-source code contributions.
• You collaborate with companies, universities and other partners in Switzerland and the EU. Most of our projects are applied research and innovation projects with Swiss companies, mainly funded by Innosuisse.
• You hold a PhD in robotics, or in computer science or a related field with a focus on AI for robotics.
• You are a pragmatic "maker" with a strong drive to build things that work and are appealing to use, and you have hands-on experience with real robots, including prototyping and modifying robots with off-the-shelf equipment.
• You have proven competencies in robot learning (reinforcement learning, imitation learning, robot foundation models) and in classical robotics (motion planning, perception and navigation, teleoperation).
• You are a strong programmer and work confidently with ROS / ROS 2, Nav2, MoveIt, PCL, OpenCV, the NVIDIA Jetson ecosystem and current deep learning frameworks.
• You have a strong research track record in AI for robotics or computer vision, shown by publications, and your curiosity keeps you on top of the state of the art.
• You are fluent in English; German is a plus.
• We offer a position at the level of research associate, initially limited to 2 years.

Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW is one of Switzerland's largest multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences, with over 14'000 students and 3'400 faculty and staff.
The School of Engineering ( SoE ), as one of the leading educational and research institutions in Switzerland, focuses on topics relevant to the future. 14 institutes and centres guarantee high-quality education, research and development with a focus on the areas of energy, mobility, information and health.
The Centre for Artificial Intelligence ( CAI ) maintains a growing number of research groups in four strategic focus areas: Foundations of AI & Machine Learning, Generative & Multimodal AI, Physical & Agentic AI, and Trustworthy & Responsible AI . The CAI conducts method-focused applied research and development at the highest level in the field of machine learning and is committed to a human-centered approach to artificial intelligence, thereby actively shaping the ethical dimension.
We are looking for a witty, sharp, curious, and technically skilled personality. We value potential over formally certified skills, encouraging also unconventional CVs, e.g., transdisciplinary backgrounds or own entrepreneurial experience.
ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams in order to promote equality, diversity and innovation.

We offer working conditions and terms of employment commensurate with higher education institutions and actively promote personal development for staff in leadership and non-leadership positions. A detailed description of advantages and benefits can be found at Working at the ZHAW . The main points are listed below:

Dr. Jorge Peña Queralta
Head of the Embodied Mobile Agents Research Group

We offer working conditions and terms of employment commensurate with higher education institutions and actively promote personal development for staff in leadership and non-leadership positions.

The ZHAW sees gender-balanced management as an advantage for the university.

The ZHAW Welcome Centre gives an overview and general information on living and working in Switzerland.