Research Associate in Robotics and AI

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in the UK is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Robot Perception Lab. The role involves research on robot manipulation leveraging vision and tactile sensing. Candidates should hold a PhD in relevant fields and have proven research experience in robotics and AI. The position is full-time and offers £45,031 per annum. You will work with international collaborators, including MIT and TUM, to pioneer advancements in robotic technology.

Qualifications

• Proven research experience in the field of robotics and AI.
• Publication record in robotics and machine learning events.
• Experience with robot design, control, and mechatronics.

Responsibilities

• Develop the next generation of dexterous robots.
• Conduct research in collaboration with international partners.
• Supervise UG/MSc/PhD students.

Skills

Research experience in robotics and AI

Excellent communication skills

Mathematical and programming skills in Python or C++

Hands-on experience with systems integration

Education

PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, AI, or Engineering

Tools

Python

C++

PyTorch

Job description

Organisation/Company KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Research Field Computer science Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Established Researcher (R3) Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 4 Jan 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Type of Contract Other Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

About us

King’s is a leading university providing world‑class teaching and cutting‑edge research. We are ranked sixth in the UK for the quality and quantity of research activity (Research Excellence Framework, 2021).

King’s has played a major role in many of the advances that shape modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of robots, radio, television, mobile phones and radar. King’s continues to lead the way on research and pioneers new ideas to make the world a better place.

The Department of Engineering at King’s is located on the Strand Campus of King’s College London where the post will be based.

About the role

A one‑year Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available at the Robot Perception Lab led by Dr Shan Luo at the Department of Engineering, King’s College London. You will work on a project on robot manipulation with vision and tactile sensing.

The research will be conducted in collaboration with colleagues from King’s College London, international collaborators at MIT, TUM and industrial partners of the project.

The main objective of the project is to develop the next generation of dexterous robots that can perform contact‑rich manipulation tasks in daily life and manufacturing environments.

This is a full time (35 Hours per week) post, offered on a fixed term contract for one year.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

• PhD qualified in relevant subject area, e.g., Robotics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering (or a related field);
• Proven research experience in the field of robotics and AI;
• Sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge in the subject of Robotics to develop research in the field, e.g., robot design, control and mechatronics;
• Publication record in robotics and machine learning, e.g., ICRA, IROS, RSS, CoRL, T-RO, CVPR, ICML;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including academic conference presentations and journal papers;
• Excellent mathematical and programming skills in Python or C++, and practical experience with deep learning libraries (e.g., PyTorch)
• Research experience in one or more of the following areas: tactile sensing, robot grasping and manipulation, robot control, computer vision, deep learning, or deep reinforcement learning;
• Hands‑on experience with systems integration, including Robot Operating Systems;
• Enthusiasm to supervise UG/MSc/PhD students.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

*Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit ’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held on 9th January 2026

Grade and Salary:£45,031 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID:133985
Close Date:04-Jan-2026
Contact Person:Dr Shan Luo
Contact Details:[e-mail]