Postdoctoral position in assistive robotics: shared autonomy for real-world support F/M

Role summary

How can assistive robots share control with people with disabilities and operate reliably in their homes for weeks at a time?

We are offering a four-year postdoctoral position starting in January 2027 at the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny, Switzerland to investigate this question through ERUSARA (Embodied Reference Understanding for Shared Autonomy in Robotic Assistance), an SNSF-funded project developing accessible shared-autonomy methods for assistive mobile manipulation.

The project addresses a central challenge in assistive robotics: enabling people to guide and correct robots through accessible interactions while retaining control. Combining multimodal interaction with sustained operation outside the laboratory, you will work with people with disabilities, caregivers, clinicians and community partners to translate lived experience into research questions and design decisions.

This creates opportunities to investigate questions such as:

• How should an assistive robot infer a user’s intent while allowing real-time correction and preserving user agency?
• How can the robot support new users, tasks and home environments?
• What technical and interaction capabilities are needed for reliable operation in people’s homes?

As the project’s technical lead, you will ensure that its research components form a dependable robotic system capable of multi-week home deployment. You will also conduct significant research and engage with participants with disabilities. Depending on your expertise and the project’s needs, your research may emphasize human-robot interaction, assistive robotics, shared autonomy, and long-term autonomy.

You will join Idiap’s Human-centered Robotics and AI group, supervised by Dr. Emmanuel Senft, and work closely with a PhD student funded by the same project. Other project researchers from Idiap's Perception and Activity Understanding Group will develop multimodal-perception and embodied-reference-understanding components. You will collaborate with them to integrate these components with the autonomy and interaction systems on a Stretch 4 mobile manipulator.

Profile

We are looking for a researcher who will develop autonomy methods, contribute to participatory design, and conduct rigorous laboratory and field evaluations. As technical lead, you will coordinate system integration and prepare the robot for deployment in participants’ homes. You will also publish scientific results and contribute to documented software, demonstrations and project reports.

You should bring:

• A PhD in Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Engineering or a closely related field.
• A strong research background in human-robot interaction, assistive robotics, shared autonomy, robot learning or a closely related area.
• Hands-on experience developing and evaluating systems on physical robots.
• Strong Python and/or C++ programming skills, experience with ROS, and the ability to integrate robotic subsystems through collaborative software development.
• Experience designing rigorous experiments and analyzing quantitative and/or qualitative data.
• An interest in participatory and inclusive research, clear scientific communication, and the ability to work independently and within an interdisciplinary, international team.

Additional experience in participatory design, assistive technology, intent inference, teleoperation, learning from demonstration, mobile manipulation, multimodal interaction, field deployment, or preparing and conducting ethical home studies would be valuable. We welcome different combinations of expertise; you do not need to cover every additional area described above.

As a research institute whose motto is “AI for Society”, Idiap is committed to an inclusive and supportive research environment. We value diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds, and actively encourage applications from women, people with disabilities and other groups currently underrepresented in robotics and AI. If the scientific vision excites you, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every additional qualification listed.

Applicant screening will begin on October 25 and continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration of your application, we encourage you to apply by October 25th, 2026.

About Idiap

Idiap is a research institute of national importance that engages in fundamental research, education and technology transfer in artificial intelligence, machine learning and signal processing. Idiap offers competitive salaries and conditions in a young, high-quality, dynamic, and multicultural environment. Idiap is located in the town of Martigny in Valais, a scenic region in the south of Switzerland, surrounded by the highest mountains of Europe, and offering exceptional quality of life, exciting recreational activities, including hiking, climbing and skiing, as well as varied cultural activities. English is the official working language.

At Idiap we place great emphasis on diversity and we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. Employment at Idiap is based solely on a person's merit and qualifications. Idiap does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, pregnancy, or any other basis protected by law.

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