PhD Position: Model-Based Control of Soft Robots

Delft, Netherlands            ·         Full time

📢 We are hiring! The first PhD position of my ERC Starting Grant RIPLEy is now open at TU Delft 🔥

🗣️ Re-sharing within your network is greatly appreciated — thank you! 🙏

🎯 Topic: Model-Based Control of Soft Robots 🦑

With RIPLEy, we aim to rethink robotic motion and interaction 🤯

Imagine an octopus 🐙 navigating a dense coral maze 🪸 — climbing, squeezing through tight spaces, and grasping through continuous, large-area contact.
🏁 Our goal? Building artificial systems with the same level of skill!

This PhD will focus on the control theory side of that vision:

 📚 developing advanced model-based controllers
 ⚙️ tailored to the unique distributed dynamics of soft bodies
✔️ validated on soft robotic platforms.

We are seeking a motivated candidate with a background in 📐 Robotics, 🔄 Control Theory, 🔢 Applied Mathematics, or ⚙️ Mechanical Engineering.

👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 You’ll work within the Physical Intelligence Lab at TU Delft | Mechanical Engineering in close collaboration with a team spanning control, learning, and experimental robotics.

📍 Based in Delft, full-time, with excellent conditions
 📆 Apply ASAP, and not later than 25 June 2025
 🔗 Full info & link in the comments
📩 Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, but please note that we do NOT accept applications via email.

🧠 If you’re excited by the idea of bringing advanced control into a world of soft, flexible, and intelligent machines — this is the place to be!

Please click here to learn more.