Post doctor (2 years) within “Human Interaction with Humanoid Unitree G1”

The Department of Computing Science is looking for a postdoctoral researcher in “Human Interaction with Humanoid Unitree G1 Edu U4 Dex3-1” within the WASP project, led by Assoc. Prof. Zoe Falomir. The position is full-time for two years, starting Autumn 2026, or as agreed.

The Department of Computing Science

The Department of Computing Science at Umeå University is an international environment for research and education covering a broad spectrum of computer science. The department is internationally renowned for its excellent research and education. We are affiliated with WASP – Sweden’s largest individual research program of all time, coordinate its sister program WASP-HS, which focuses on the consequences of emerging technologies, and are a strong partner in the national strategic research program eSSENCE. We value diversity and actively work to promote an inclusive work environment with a high level of engagement. Read more at: Department of Computing Science  

Interested? Submit your application by Sep 4, 2026.

Project description and working tasks

This project proposes the implementation of a cognitive agent embodied in a humanoid robot Unitree G1 which will collaborate with a human partner to solve a spatial problem (e.g. 3D puzzle).

The tasks to be carried out are: (i) scene understanding: detection of objects and relations between objects, and use of these relations to infer new knowledge (i.e. reasoning); (ii) explore object affordances, learn the consequences of the actions carried out and enrich the knowledge base (i.e. learning by interaction); (iii) querying the knowledge base about what was useful in the past to predict actions that might be useful in the present, try them out and update its knowledge base (i.e. update learning). Also writing scientific papers and communicating our research advances in conferences.

Methods: programming a humanoid platform using ROS2 packages, solve SLAM, use imitation learning algorithms to learn pick-and-place actions, design HRI experiments with users, evaluate data, and share the code and benchmarks in open repositories.

This postdoctoral position is funded by Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP). WASP is Sweden’s largest individual research program ever, a major national initiative for strategically motivated basic research, education and faculty recruitment. Read more: https://wasp-sweden.org/

Qualifications

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. 

This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision. 

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their degree, in accordance with what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years ago. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree earlier than that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organisations, military service or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area. 

Required Qualifications

The applicant must have documented expertise in the following areas:

• A PhD in a relevant field, with experience in robotics, particularly programming of humanoid platforms
• An engineering degree in a field related to:
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Automatic control
  • Mechatronics
  • Robotics
  • Artificial intelligence
• Demonstrated research experience in robot control and, more generally, complex systems
• Strong programming skills (e.g. C/C++, Python, ROS)
• Solid skills in numerical analysis
• Advanced knowledge of computer vision
• Experience in human–robot interaction

Particularly Meritorious

It is particularly meritorious if the applicant has:

• A PhD with a specialization in humanoid platforms

Other Meritorious Qualifications

It is also advantageous if the applicant has:

• Publications in well-established conferences such as ICRA, IROS, or HRI (or equivalent)
• Hands-on experience with humanoid platforms
• Knowledge in cognitive robotics and cognitive architectures

Other desirable qualifications

It is highly meritorious if you have also:

• publications in ICRA, IROS, HRI, or similar conferences;
• experience in humanoid platforms;
• knowledge in cognitive robotics and cognitive architecture.

[1] Zhang, Hanbo, et al. "Robotic grasping from classical to modern: A survey." arXiv preprint

arXiv:2202.03631 (2022).

[2] Gu, Feida, et al. "A survey on robotic manipulation of deformable objects: Recent advances, open

challenges and new frontiers." arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.10419 (2023).

[3] Bartneck, C., Belpaeme, T., Eyssel, F., Kanda, T., Keijsers, M., & Sabanovic, S. (2024). Human-Robot

Interaction – An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)

[4] D. Vernon, Artificial Cognitive Systems, MIT Press (2014)

Personal qualities

Important personal qualities are:

• Excellent written and oral scientific communication skills in English,
• Good interpersonal skills, that is, being communicative and collaborative with the rest of the people in the team, and the ability to work within multidisciplinary projects,
• Autonomy, good skills in problem solving, critical and creative thinking.

Application

A full application should include:

• Cover letter describing your research interests, project ideas, and contact
• information.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list including DOI links,
• Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the
• degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
• Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
• Copy of doctoral thesis and up to 5 relevant articles,
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.
• Contact information to two people willing to act as references.

The application must be written in English or Swedish. The application is made through our electronic recruitment system. Documents sent electronically must be in Word or PDF format. Log in to the system and apply via the button at the end of this page. The closing date is 4 Setember 2026.

If you have questions, please contact Zoe Falomir at zoe.falomir@umu.se.