Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Postdoctoral position in Cognitive architectures for autonomous and interactive robotics

Italy

Commitment & contract: Collaboration contract, 10 months (renewable)

Location: Center of Human Technologies (CHT) Via Enrico Melen 83, Building B 16152 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 COgNiTive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies (CONTACT) Research unit is coordinated by Alessandra Sciutti. Research will be carried out in a fully equipped laboratory, supplied with two iCub humanoid robots, motion capture and eye-tracking devices.

The research investigates the development of manipulation and haptic exploration skills in children, with the aim of developing novel tools and tests to provide a quantitative assessment of sensorimotor and cognitive skills in healthy and pathological conditions. The postdoctoral position entails the development of hardware and software dedicated to the quantitative assessment of manipulation, the analysis of data collected in different user populations, and the modeling of manipulation skills. The work will be conducted in the framework of the ARIEL ERC POC project.

Within the team, your main responsibilities will be:

  • The development of methods and related software to assess human manipulation skills through dedicated sensorized objects developed in the laboratory and active interaction with clinical experts.
  • The analysis of the data collected through the assessment conducted in different populations.

The goal of the research is to model how manipulation skills develop in typically developing children and in children with motor impairments, with potential implications for the design of assistive technology.

This open position is financed by European Union through the project ERC PoC ARIEL (Assessing childRen manIpulation and Exploration skiLls) – Grant Agreement 101189387 (CUP J53C24004970006).

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • PhD in bioengineering, computer science, computer engineering, or related fields;
  • Knowledge of Python, and Linux/Windows development tools;
  • Good command of the English language (written and spoken);
  • Experience in data analysis
  • Strong publication record

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

  • Experience in conducting experiments with human participants.
  • Experience in motion tracking and eye tracking
  • C/C++ programming languages
  • Experience in motion tracking and/or in data analysis
  • Knowledge of the iCub humanoid platform
  • Knowledge of Matlab
  • 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 34k and 44k
  • 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.

 

Please submit your application using the online form and including a detailed CV, university transcripts, cover letter (outlining motivation, experience and qualifications) and contact details of 2 references.

The call will remain open until a suitable candidate is found

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

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