Connectionists: Postdoc and PhD student position at EPFL about investigating human locomotion using neuromechanical simulations and humanoid robots

[Auke Ijspeert]

*Postdoc and PhD student position for a project investigating and 
leveraging the neuromechanics of human locomotion using humanoid robots 
  (Fall 2026)*

The Biorobotics laboratory (Biorob, https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/) at 
EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) has one Postdoc and one PhD student 
position for a project aiming at investigating and leveraging the 
neuromechanics of human locomotion using humanoid robots. See 
https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/openings/

The objectives of the project are (1) to investigate the principles of 
healthy and pathological human locomotion using numerical models 
(neuromechanical simulations), and (2) to use insights from biology to 
develop bio-inspired locomotion controllers to be used together with 
reinforcement learning on humanoid robots.

*Background:*

The versatility of human locomotion is still not well understood from a 
neuroscience point of view nor well replicated in humanoid robots. In 
particular, the interactions between higher centers (e.g. the motor 
cortex), the spinal cord and the musculoskeletal system are poorly 
understood. The goal of this project is to develop a computational 
architecture that (i) integrates both spinal cord circuits and 
supraspinal control; (ii) uses deep reinforcement learning for 
supraspinal planning and learning, (iii) allows testing hypotheses about 
human motor control and pathologies at a conceptual level, and (iv) can 
serve as basis for controlling and learning versatile motor skills in 
humanoid robots.

*Requirements:*
The goal would be to hire one researcher with a background in 
computational neuroscience (idealy with experience in numerical models 
of human locomotion) and one researcher with a background in robotics 
(ideally with expertise in the control of legged or humanoid robots). 
The ideal candidates should also have strong backgrounds in math and 
programming, and an interest in interdisciplinary research.

*Deadline and starting date:*
Applications will be considered starting from now on, and then 
continuously until the position is filled. A good starting date would be 
*September 2026.*

*Application: *See https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/openings/

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Prof Auke Jan Ijspeert (he/him)
Biorobotics Laboratory
EPFL-STI-IBI-BIOROB, ME D1 1226, Station 9
EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Office: ME D1 1226   Tel: +41 21 693 2658    Fax: +41 21 693 3705
www:http://biorob.epfl.ch           Email:Auke.Ijspeert at epfl.ch
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.srv.cs.cmu.edu/pipermail/connectionists/attachments/20260516/1aa940d7/attachment.html>