Phd Position Multi-Agent Aerial Manipulation for Construction

Are you interested in exploring how multi-agent aerial manipulation can contribute to construction and working at the intersection of robotics and machine learning?     

Job description

Advancements in aerial robotics are reshaping the future of construction.  In the HARPA project funded by the EIC Pathfinder Challenge, you will explore how heterogeneous aerial robotics teams can collaboratively and autonomously assemble a pavilion. Together with other team members and collaborators from TUM and ETH, at the end of the project we will perform a real-world demonstration of the autonomous assembly of a pre-fabricated pavilion using a team of aerial robots.

HARPA is looking for two motivated PhD candidates who closely collaborate to enable this vision:

PhD #1: Multi-Agent Planning and Control for Cable-Suspended Aerial Multi-Lifting Systems

Cable-suspended Aerial Multi-Lifting systems (CAMLs) are composed of several UAVs that lift and control the orientation of the pre-fabricated building components through cables. You will investigate multi-agent planning, learning and control methods to enable decentralized, robust, and precise aerial manipulation with CAMLs. The goal is to allow existing UAV platforms to operate in a scalable and decentralized manner while achieving obstacle avoidance using onboard sensing and adapting to changes in dynamic environments. In parallel to the theoretical and algorithmic developments, you will work closely with the other PhD, postdocs, engineers in the lab, and other collaborators from TUM and ETH, to establish a digital twin for construction, and optimize CAML hardware platforms for the precise manipulation of prefabricated building components. You will also collaborate with FlyingBasket to validate the heavy-lifting system. In the final HARPA demonstration, you will be responsible for the CAML platform and its collaboration with aerial robotic manipulator platforms.

PhD #2: Contact-Aware Planning and Control for Aerial Robotic Manipulators

You will investigate contact-aware planning, control, and perception methods for aerial robotic manipulators (ARMs). These aerial manipulators will act as “flying hands” to support the connection and assembly of prefabricated building components. You will explore how learning-based methods, such as imitation learning and reinforcement learning, can be integrated with model-based low-level controllers and multimodal sensing to enable contact-rich aerial manipulation in unstructured and dynamic environments, particularly in close proximity to objects. The developed algorithms will be validated through real-world experiments that enable multiple ARMs to work together with CAMLs for construction tasks. In addition, you will contribute to the design and optimization of aerial manipulation hardware platforms, supported by engineers in the lab, as well as to the development of digital twin platforms for simulation and pre-assembly validation. Finally, you will contribute to the final demonstration of pavilion assembly.

The positions are available with a flexible start date to be agreed upon. The PhD candidates will join the Autonomous Multi-Robots Lab at the Cognitive Robotics Department and will be supervised by Dr. Sihao Sun and Prof. Javier Alonso-Mora. You will also have the chance to collaborate and visit our partners from ETH Zurich and TU Munich. As part of the PhD position, there will be opportunities to gain teaching experience in the relevant courses and/or supervising MSc students.

More information about our research group can be found at: https://autonomousrobots.nl/

Job requirements

We are looking for a candidate experienced with aerial robotics, motion planning, control, manipulation and/or machine learning.

•  Master of Science (MSc) diploma in Robotics, Computer Science, Systems & Control, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Maths or any other related field.

•  Drive for excellence in research and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

•  Willingness to conduct multidisciplinary research in collaboration with both scientific and industrial partners.

•  Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.

•  TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency tests for all applicants except those who graduated from an MSc program that was taught in English. The minimum requirement is a TOEFL score of 100, or IELTS of 7.0 per sub-skill (writing, reading, listening, speaking).   

Faculty Mechanical Engineering 

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems. 

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation. 

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. 

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.  

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. 

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.  

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.  

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. J. Alonso-Mora at j.alonsomora@tudelft.nl, and Dr. S.Sun at s.sun-2@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 2 August 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• A motivation letter explaining your motivation and ambitions related to the PhD position and your relevant skils.
• Your CV.
• If the applicants are selected for an interview, they will be asked to provide the name and contact details of at least two referees (preferably including your MSc thesis supervisor).
• Transcripts of your MSc and BSc studies.
• Your (draft) MSc Thesis, a relevant publication that you have co-authored or some other report that you have written (if applicable; you may apply prior to completing the MSc thesis).

You can address your application to Prof. J. Alonso-Mora at j.alonsomora@tudelft.nl, and/or Dr. S.Sun.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
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