Postdoctoral Research Assistant in AI for Robot Decision-Making
Salary
Grade 7: £38,674 -£46,913 per annum (Inclusive of Oxford University weighting)
Closing date
May 12, 2025 12:00PM
Description
We are seeking a full-time post-doctoral research assistant to join the GOALS research group (http://ori.ox.ac.uk/labs/goals/) within the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) at the Department of Engineering Science (central Oxford). The post is funded by the EPSRC research funds and is fixed-term for up to one year.
The successful applicant will have experience on using sequential decision-making methods for solving problems related to safe robotic exploration and planning under epistemic uncertainty. We typically work with Markov decision processes (MDPs), and are looking for someone with experience in both fundamental algorithms for producing policies for rich goal structures in MDPs (e.g. risk, temporal logic, or probabilistic objectives), and modelling robot decision problems using MDPs (e.g. human-robot interaction, safe exploration, long-term monitoring). You will be responsible for developing new techniques for single- or multi-agent decision-making under uncertainty in the context of autonomous systems; testing hypotheses and analyzing data from a variety of sources, reviewing and refining working hypotheses as appropriate; engage with industrial stakeholders to understand needs and disseminate results; and organising and deliver autonomous system trials and demonstrations at internal and external sites.
You should possess a relevant PhD/DPhil or be near completion together with relevant experience, including a track record of contributions in decision-making under uncertainty robotic exploration and mission planning under epistemic uncertainty. You will have have knowledge or experience in modelling and solving problems under uncertainty, from either an AI, robotics, or verification perspective, and an ability to manage own academic research and associated activities.
Informal enquiries may be addressed to Nick Hawes (email: nick.hawes@eng.ox.ac.uk).
For more information about working at the Department, see www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/
Only online applications received before midday on 12th May 2025 can be considered. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application.
The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.
Contact name
Prof. Nick Hawes
Contact email
nick.hawes@eng.ox.ac.uk