Connectionists: Post-Doc/RA position in Modular Reconfigurable/Evolutionary Robotics, The University of Sheffield

[Roderich Gross]

Post-Doc/RA position - Modular Reconfigurable and Evolutionary Robotic 
Systems

Detailed information: 
http://naturalrobotics.group.shef.ac.uk/UOS006388.html

The University of Sheffield, Department of Automatic Control and Systems 
Engineering

We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate (postdoctoral researcher) 
to work on the EPSRC-sponsored project 'Evo-Bots - From Intelligent 
Building Blocks to Living Things': 
http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/K033948/1

This post offers an outstanding opportunity to work with a 
multidisciplinary team of researchers. Our long-term vision is to create 
the first non-biological living system through evolution in the natural 
world. The project takes arguably a radical approach: creating living 
systems by synthesising their building blocks from scratch. The research 
programme will study Evo-bots, which are energy-autonomous mobile robots 
/ mechatronic modules. Evo-bots control when to move; however, their 
direction of motion is entirely dictated by the environment. By 
controlling how Evo-bots physically interact with each other (a process 
called self-assembly), the system can give rise to novel forms of life 
and its evolution.

The post holder will be working in Dr Roderich Gross' Natural Robotics 
Lab (http://naturalrobotics.group.shef.ac.uk). The lab is part of the 
Sheffield Centre for Robotics (http://www.scentro.ac.uk), which offers a 
brand-new robotics laboratory of ca. 800 sq m.

The position will incur a regular exchange with and visits of Dr 
Francesco Mondada's group at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of 
Technology), Lausanne, Switzerland. http://mobots.epfl.ch/

Applicants should have a good honours degree, hold, or be near 
completion of, a PhD (or equivalent research experience) in a related 
discipline such as robotics, mechatronics, electrical engineering, 
mechanical engineering, or computer science, and have a track record of 
research and publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. The 
successful applicant will have knowledge in system design, rapid 
prototyping, embedded computing, sensors and their processing, actuators 
and their control and have good overall IT skills. Previous research 
experience in the design, implementation and study of miniature 
robotic/mechatronic systems is highly desirable.

The post is fixed-term from 1 June 2013 to 1 August 2014.

Salary in the range: £28,685 to £30,424 per annum

Closing Date: 15th May 2013

The University of Sheffield is committed to achieving excellence through 
inclusion. We are an Athena Bronze SWAN Award winner, a Stonewall 
Diversity Champion and a Two Ticks Employer.

To apply, visit https://www.shef.ac.uk/jobs (Job reference number: 
UOS006388). Please note that pop-up windows must not be blocked!

-- 
Roderich GROSS, PhD SMIEEE
Lecturer and Head of the Natural Robotics Lab
Department of Automatic Control & Systems Engineering
The University of Sheffield
Mappin Street
Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/staff/roderich-gross

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