About the job Search And Rescue (SAR) has long represented a core challenge and opportunity for robotics. Despite the efforts, however, robots are rarely and sparsely used in real-life SAR operations. Beyond logistical aspects or issues of social acceptance the fact is that SAR tasks are extremely demanding, time-critical and often take place in particularly harsh environments. Building upon our experiences from the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, and within the scope of a new soon-to-start European project on Search and Rescue, this PhD position calls to redefine how diverse multi-robot teams undertake SAR missions autonomously. Focusing on the collaboration of legged and flying robots, in this research we seek to equip such robots with semantic reasoning, enhanced multi-modal perception and the planning & decision-making autonomy that shall render robots “mission-complete” for real-life complex SAR missions. Alongside algorithmic contributions, there is a major element of field deployments within the scope of this position. The position is part of the activities in resilient robotic autonomy across diverse operational conditions and environments. The Autonomous Robots Lab has leading research in robotic autonomy and demonstrated performance in a collection of world-class projects funded by both European and US sources. For more details about our team and our publication track record, see: . Indicative instances of our work can be seen in the following videos of our robotic experimentation: & For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. Your immediate leader is Professor Kostas Alexis as the main scientific supervisor of the research. Duties of the position Research on semantic-autonomy for legged and flying robots. Research on multi-robot autonomy in SAR tasks. Robot development and field experimentation. Required selection criteria You must have a professionally relevant background in any or all of the domains of path planning, machine learning, perception, robotics and other synergistic domains. Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program (see: ) The appointment is to be made in accordance with and Preferred selection criteria Knowledge and skills in software engineering including strong background in C++ and/or Python. Experience with the Robot Operating System (ROS).Experience with simulators for robotic systems.Experience with implementation of real-life robotic systems. Good written and oral English skills. Personal characteristics Be scientifically curious and open to new research challenges. Demonstrate independence and persistence in addressing technical problems. Be flexible and reliable, with ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team. We offer exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environmentan open and with dedicated colleaguesfavourable terms in the Salary and conditions As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.The period of employment is 3 years.Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering Cybernetics within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.