PhD Position in SureROB: Kinematics analysis and optimisation of cycloid drives (DC3)

École Centrale de Lyon; France; Hybride; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A prestigious French engineering school is seeking PhD candidates for a joint mobility program focused on the development of sustainable collaborative robots. The position requires international research work split between France and Italy, involving design optimization of kinematic joints. Candidates must possess strong analytical skills and background in Mechanical Engineering. This is an excellent opportunity for motivated individuals to advance their research career in robotics while collaborating with international experts.

Prestations

Competitive salary package including living and mobility allowances

Intensive training and career development opportunities

Work with leading researchers and industry experts

Qualifications

• Candidates must not have resided in France for more than 12 months in the last 36 months.
• Must be a doctoral candidate and can have any nationality.
• Obtaining a relevant master’s degree before contract start is required.

Responsabilités

• Develop and optimize robotic joint designs for international projects.
• Conduct research in Lyon and Italy over 36 months.
• Cooperate with various experts in the field of robotics.

Connaissances

Analytical skills

Problem-solving abilities

Passion for science and technology

Solid background in Mechanical Engineering

Mathematics

Formation

Relevant master’s degree

Description du poste

Organisation/Company École Centrale de Lyon Department Département de Mécanique des Solides Génie Mécanique et Génie Civil Research Field Engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country France Application Deadline 15 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Jul 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number DC3 Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101226856 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

About the SureROB Project

Development of efficient, safe, green, and reconfigurable manufacturing systems requires seamless integration between software and hardware solutions, requiring cooperation between experts from different fields. The project aims to make advancements in green manufacturing systems through collaborative robots (CoBots), making them viable for SMEs. The field of robotics faces the challenge of a disconnect between experts from computer science that provide generic solutions and the end-users that work and interact with the hardware. By bridging this gap to enable the development of lightweight, efficient, and sustainable CoBots, SureROB will holistically train skilled researchers to contribute to European manufacturing. Through a well-balanced consortium of renowned academic bodies and industrial partners from seven countries, SureROB will develop and benchmark industrially feasible solutions. The focus would be not only to make the manufacturing process sustainable but also address the sustainability of manufacturing CoBots themselves. Green tools and techniques will be developed. An important target would be achieving up to 20% reduction in the weight of the robot's components (drives and arms), resulting in lower energy consumption without compromising on the system reliability and robustness. Structural and geometric optimisation of the drives and arms will be investigated to improve the dynamic behaviour and efficiency with software-based design solutions. These will be supported with vibration control strategies working in sync with optimised path planning and condition monitoring strategies. Numerical and experimental evaluation of the developed solutions will be conducted for benchmarking them against the reference system. SureROB will address the cost and impact of existing technologies to make them economically feasible and eco-friendly, and will actively disseminate the results, engage with the public, and promote open science.

About the DC3 Project

Kinematic joints and links are critical element in robotics. Joints must be adapted to work in severe conditions, must ensure the greatest efficiency, and work without backlash. Designing and building a lightweight kinematic joint is an academic challenge with an applicative impact. The robotic arm in kinematics point of view is a structure built with links and a joint. The main function of this mechanism is to ensure the movement of the end effector with respective velocities which need to apply torques in a very precise manner. In terms of control system, the joint should be characterised with very low backlash and high efficiency. These two elements can be obtained by using direct drive combined with cycloidal drives.

The PhD project will focus on the modelling and optimization of the joint design for robotic applications. To this end, a detailed FEM and dynamic model of the cycloid gear will be achieved. The complexity of the modelling will lead potentially to a metamodeling stage in order to handle the different sources of uncertainties. The optimization will use either the 3D model or the metamodel. The optimization will be on the minimization of the mass and backlash effects, and on maximizing the joint efficiency.

The project requires the candidate to undertake international mobility. 18 months of the research work will be performed in Lyon (France) at École Centrale de Lyon and 18 months in Limatola (Italy) at Powerflex .
Please visit our website for more information.
Please submit your applications via this link .

Within SureROB there are 9 PhD positions on offer that tackle different challenges in robotics. Visit our PhD Positions website page to look at the other positions!
We look forward to your application!
Thank you for your interest!

• Analytical skills and outstanding problems solving abilities,
• Passion for science and technology and the motivation to undertake transnational mobility, and
• Solid background in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics.
• Prestigious PhD programme (Marie-Curie) with a competitive salary (see here ), comprising of
  • TheLiving allowance, amounting to € 4010 /month. This amount is adjusted according to the country in which the candidate is recruited
  • Mobility allowance, amounting to € 710 /month, and
  • Family allowance(if applicable, depending on family situation), which amounts to € 660 per month.
    Please note that the salary contributions described above are according to the budget categories for MSCA doctoral networks. Social security, mandatory deductions, and taxes have not been considered. The final salary received by the candidate will depend on the country of recruitment.
• Work with renowned research scientists and industrial experts,
• Exposure to multiple sectors (research labs, industry, start-ups/SMEs),
• Receive intensive training on a broad set of career-enabling skills,
• Benefit from a 3-years immersion in an industry-oriented research environment with excellent career opportunities in both public and private sectors.

Eligibility criteria

• Recruited researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment.
• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. For this particular position, the candidate must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding 01.07.2026.
• The Recruited researchers must hold a relevant master’s degree or must obtain a relevant master’s degree before the start of the contract.

Refer Section 1.3.2. of the MSCA Work Programme (here ) for more details.