About this role
This is NTNU NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim. At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world. You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here. Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0 About the position Foundation models represent one of the most promising avenues pushing the frontier of robot autonomy. Aiming to break new ground this PhD project focuses on developing novel foundation models for underwater robot perception and navigation. The aim is twofold: to advance foundation-model capabilities within the underwater domain, and to ensure that a unified modelling approach can operate across robot embodiments – air, ground, and marine. Achieving this requires new simulation tools, scalable neural architectures for perception and navigation that generalize across robot types, modeling of light effects underwater, and high-quality underwater datasets, both synthetic and real. The project will leverage the extensive underwater robotics infrastructure at NTNU and the Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI. The PhD candidate will be supervised by Kostas Alexis, head of the Autonomous Robots Lab (ARL), and the position is part of the recently-funded Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI. About the project Join a nation-wide team: The Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI (NCEI), one of Norway’s six national AI centers, is recruiting outstanding researchers to advance a universal science of embodied intelligence. NCEI brings together leading robotics and AI groups with key partners from industry and the public sector to study how intelligence emerges from the interaction between body, computation, and environment, across flying, ground, and aquatic robot configurations. Our mission is to chart a generalizable path for physical AI and transform how robot morphology and autonomy are co-designed, enabling new generations of systems tailored to their operational environments and missions. Successful candidates will join an international community with world-class facilities and strong collaborations across Norwegian universities, research institutes, industry, public agencies, and leading global institutions. We welcome motivated applicants in robotics, control, AI, machine learning, physics, and related fields, including early-stage researchers eager to contribute to this emerging scientific frontier. Duties of the position Fundamental contributions in foundation models for underwater robotics. Focus on implementable methods for onboard robotic autonomy. Experimental deployments and field evaluation of the conducted research. Complete your doctoral education leading to the PhD degree. Conduct and publish research of high-quality within the framework described above. Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays abroad. Collaborate with other researchers within the department, and across departments at NTNU. Supervise master’s thesis students related to the project. Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment. Required selection criteria You must have a Master's degree in cybernetics, control systems, or equivalent, with a strong training in robotics or computer vision or machine learning. 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: https://www.ntnu.edu/ie/research/phd ). You must meet the requirements for admission to the IE Faculty. PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”. The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position. Preferred selection criteria Solid theoretical background in robot perception and navigation. Deep foundation in modern machine learning. Solid programming skills in C++ and Python. Experience with ROS is a plus. Experience with simulators for robotic systems. Experience with implementation of real-life robotic systems. Strong skills in mathematics, excellent capacity for mathematical formalism, and ability to grasp new concepts quickly. Personal characteristics To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: 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. Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities. We offer An exciting job with an important mission in society Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues Working capital that can be used to implement the project Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK) As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits . Diversity Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an em