PhD Position in Active Robotic Visuo-Haptic Exploration of Materials

This fully funded PhD position (36 months) under the MSCA Doctoral Network programme includes competitive salary, mobility allowance, and career development support. Quick facts:

  • Host Institution: Technical University of Darmstadt (TUDA)
  • PhD Enrollment: TUDA, Department of Computer Science, Intelligent Autonomous Systems Lab
  • Start Date: April (flexible)
  • Duration: 36 months (full-time) or longer
  • Salary: German E13 salary
  • Apply through: https://www.ias.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/Jobs/Application

We are offering an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated PhD student to join the EXPLORA Doctoral Network (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, MSCA). The successful candidate will conduct cutting-edge research on active visuo-haptic exploration of materials in robotic biomimetic systems. The Research Objectives are

  • Develop robot learning approaches for active visuo-haptic exploration of object properties (e.g., 3D shape, softness, stickiness, furriness, gloss).
  • Implement models in bimanual robotic hands (e.g., DLR Darias hands, Allegro Hands, Wessling Hands).
  • Test models against hypotheses derived from human experiments to enhance robot perception and control.
  • Improve effective multi-modal robotic control for dexterous manipulation.

We expect contributions to the EXPLORA project and publications in top-tier AI, robotics, and machine learning venues. You will receive excellent training and our PhD graduates as a result typically obtain top jobs as can be observed on

https://www.ias.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/Team/Alumni

while having a much better salary in

We are looking for outstanding candidates with:

  • A Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, AI, or related fields.
  • Strong background in machine learning, reinforcement learning, or deep learning.
  • Experience with robotics systems, control, and programming (Python, ROS, C++).
  • Curiosity and motivation to work at the intersection of AI, robotics, and cognitive sciences.
  • MSCA requires that you have not live in Germany for more than 6 months in the last three years. Thus, we can only consider candidates who fulfill this requirement.

You will be part of the EXPLORA Doctoral Network https://www.linkedin.com/company/explorahorizonproject/ working closely with international experts in robotics, AI, and cognitive sciences. The position is hosted at the Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS) Lab at TU Darmstadt, with strong collaborations across Europe.

How to Apply? Applications should include:

  • CV and transcripts
  • Research statement
  • If possible, early publications or your MSc thesis
  • Contact details of 3 referees

Please send your application via https://www.ias.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/Jobs/Application and do *NOT* send it by email as we are not allowed to consider applications by email.

Deadline: October 1, 2025