Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Postdoc in Embodied Neuromorphic Intelligence

Italy

80465

Commitment & contract: PostDoc, full time, 24 months

Location: Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Genova, Italy

Step into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future!

At IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds.

We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential.

THE ROLE

You will be working in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate, each with their expertise, to carry out a scientific activity with a shared research goal.

The Event-Driven Perception for Robotics Research Unit is coordinated by Dr. Chiara Bartolozzi (she/her). Our research focuses on neuromorphic computing and engineering for developing artificial agents that solve the same problems that animals solve, for developing robots to act swiftly, robustly and efficiently in uncontrolled environment in a wide range of conditions and tasks. This includes real-time event-driven vision, touch perception, and understanding of aspects of biological computation and their application to robotics.

This research needs to expand towards embodied neuromorphic intelligence, developing end-to-end neuromorphic robots (from perception to decision making, to control) that exploit embodiment to endow them with the ability to continuously infer, predict and adapt to the state of the environment, of humans, and of the robotic platform itself and plan and execute appropriate actions.

We are looking for a PostDoc to integrate their strong experience in neuromorphic computing and learning. Solutions could involve spiking neural networks on neuromorphic platforms, balanced EI networks, dynamic attractors, spike driven local learning and adaptation, dendritic computation; applications include body schema representation, multisensory integration, motion perception, active sensing, decision making, and closed loop control.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • A PhD in computational neuroscience, neuromorphic computing and engineering, computer science, or similar disciplines
  • Documented experience in spiking neural networks and/or spike driven learning
  • Strong publication record
  • Good command of spoken and written English

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

  • Experience in supervising younger researchers (MSc, PhDs, etc.)
  • Knowledge of programming tools (Python) 
  • Ability to work in a challenging and international environment
  • Capacity to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment
  • Possess Analytical Reasoning skills and a growth mindset

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

  • A yearly gross salary ranging between 35k and 45k
  • Private health care coverage depending on your role and contract
  • Candidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years.

This open position is financed by the Italian Institute of Technologies intramural fundings within the Brain and Machines flagship project.

Please submit your application using the online form and including a detailed CV, cover letter, and contact details of 2 references.

Application’s deadline: June 30th, 2025

To discover more about life at IIT, visit the dedicated section here: https://www.iit.it/en/work-at-iit

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