PhD: Safe, Uncertainty-Driven Long-Horizon Robot Planning

Delft University of Technology; Delft; On-site; EUR 28,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Delft University of Technology in Delft, Netherlands, invites applications for an MSc research position on safe planning and decision-making for robots within the EU OPERA project. The role emphasizes theory, simulation, and real-robot validation in collaboration with international partners.

The ideal candidate holds an MSc in Systems and Control, Robotics, or Applied Mathematics, and has strong programming skills in C++ or Python, with experience in ROS/ROS 2.

Qualifications

• An MSc degree in Systems and Control, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field.
• Strong interest in safe planning and decision-making for robots, at the intersection of planning, control, and learning.
• Rigorous, theoretically grounded research with validation in simulation and on real robots.
• Strong analytical and mathematical skills in optimization, probability and statistics, and dynamical systems.
• Excellent communication skills and proficiency in English (written and verbal).
• Hands-on experience implementing optimization-based planners or controllers (e.g., MPC with acados or CasADi) in C++ or Python.
• Safe or robust control and planning under uncertainty.
• Learned dynamics or prediction models, model-based reinforcement learning.
• Uncertainty quantification, probabilistic or Bayesian modeling, state estimation.
• Long-horizon or hierarchical planning, prediction of human or multi-agent behavior.
• Real-robot deployment with ROS or ROS 2.

Skills

Optimization

Probability & statistics

Dynamical systems

C++

Python

English communication

ROS / ROS 2

Reinforcement learning

Uncertainty quantification

Education

MSc degree in Systems and Control, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field

Tools

CasADi

acados

Job description

Delft University of Technology in Delft, Netherlands, invites applications for an MSc research position on safe planning and decision-making for robots within the EU OPERA project. The role emphasizes theory, simulation, and real-robot validation in collaboration with international partners.

The ideal candidate holds an MSc in Systems and Control, Robotics, or Applied Mathematics, and has strong programming skills in C++ or Python, with experience in ROS/ROS 2.