Postdoctoral and/or Independent Research Fellowship in Snake Robotics - Invitation to develop a project proposal

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim represents academic eminence in technology and the natural sciences as well as in other academic disciplines ranging from the social sciences, the arts, medicine, teacher education, architecture to fine art. Cross-disciplinary cooperation results in innovative breakthroughs and creative solutions with far-reaching social and economic impact.

Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering
Postdoctoral and/or Independent Research Fellowship
in Snake Robotics - Invitation to develop a project proposal

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is Norway’s second largest university and is one of the leading universities in Scandinavia, with an annual budget of about US $800 million. Its 53 departments cover the whole spectrum of scientific disciplines, and some 3,300 students graduate each year. The Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering has taken the initiative to support outstanding junior scientists planning to submit applications for postdoctoral and/or independent research fellowships in order to pursue a research career.

We welcome applications from promising young researchers who would like to develop a project proposal with NTNU as the host institution in the field of robotics, related to the control of snake robot locomotion in particular.

Inspired by their biological counterpart, snake robots are long and slender mechanisms that can provide robust propulsion skills in virtually any environment. Inspired by their use in areas such as search and rescue, pipe inspection and firefighting operations, research on snake robots has been going on for several decades. However, practical applications of these mechanisms are still very limited since their potential in terms of mobility has not yet been realized. NTNU has studied snake robot locomotion for several years and has focused on control strategies for locomotion in cluttered and irregular environments. We are currently looking for outstanding researchers who can assist in our ongoing research into SLAM-based control approaches for snake robots and control strategies to enable these mechanisms to adapt their body shape motion to the environment in order to use environment contact forces actively for propulsion (a control concept that we call obstacle-aided locomotion). See www.robotnor.no for more information.

We will invite the most promising candidates who apply to come to Trondheim for a two-day symposium at the beginning of June. This will provide an opportunity to present their research achievements, discuss future research/career plans with senior NTNU academics and get to know one of the most popular places to live and work in Norway. After the symposium, we will select the candidates to be supported by senior faculty academics in developing their fellowship applications.

In order to assess whether you meet the eligibility criteria set by the European Commission for the International Incoming and Intra-European Fellowships, please submit electronically through http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=94130 :
• Curriculum Vitae
• A copy of your degree and grade transcripts for your doctoral and master’s degrees
• 1 letter of recommendation
• 1 or 2 publications as first author in a peer-reviewed journal
• Any track record of experience in proposal writing
• Summary of your research interest (up to 2 pages)

Preferably all attachments should be made into one file.

The deadline for applications is June 5, 2013