Four-year PHD Programme

ID: 4172

Type: Full-time

Category: Others

Company Name: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Location: Groningen - Groningen - Netherlands

Salary: 3058 - 3881 EUR MONTH

Education Level: intern

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Job Description

Functieomschrijving

PhD in Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Robot Swarm for Inspection Applications

PhD

PhD in Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Robot Swarm for Inspection Applications

https://werkenbij.rug.nl/vacature/phd-in-design-and-experimental-evaluation-of-a-robot-swarm-for-inspection-applications-1698/?langlang=en

What are you going to do?

Building on our previous work on small-scale mobile robots and multi-robot algorithms, you will extend and redesign the hardware platform, including the mechanical structure, electronics, and embedded software. You will prototype and test increasingly capable robotic modules and investigate how AI/ML models can be deployed directly on microcontrollers to perform local data processing and support intelligent decision making. The broader goal is to develop robust, scalable hardware and embedded intelligence that enable future distributed autonomous sensing, monitoring, and inspection applications.

University of Groningen

Apply no later than: 31 March 2026 23:59 Dutch local time

€3.059 - €3.881

Who are you?

A Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related fields. Candidates with a Bachelor's degree may also be considered for admission if they can demonstrate evidence of extensive research experience.
Fluency in spoken and written English. An official test certificate such as TOEFL or IELTS is a plus. If you do not have a certificate, English fluency will be evaluated during the initial admission interview.
Broad interest in robotics and AI, experience with C/C++, experience with Python, experience with Altium De signer and making PCBs; prior experience with AI/ML algorithms and embedded systems (microcontrollers, RTOS, etc.) is a strong plu

What can you expect from us?

In accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, we offer a salary of at least € 3.059 up to a maximum of € 3.881 (promovendus) gross per month for a full-time employment contract.
232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.
A full-time (1.0 FTE) position of one year with the option of renewal for three more years. Renewal of the contract is contingent on accomplishing sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that the candidate will be able to complete their PhD thesis within the next three years successfully. The position is intended for a PhD programme of 4 years. A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and the candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering.

Where will you be working?

At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.

This PhD project is planned as a four-year PhD programme at the University of Groningen , in Groningen, The Netherlands and will be funded through a recent NWO Vidi grant. The University of Groningen ranks among the top universities worldwide and has a very strong international reputation in automation and control.

Supervisor: Dr Bahar Haghighat, https://www.rug.nl/staff/bahar.haghighat/

About the PhD supervisor

Dr Bahar Haghighat is currently a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Robotics and Automation at the Engineering and Technology institute Groningen (ENTEG), in Groningen, the Netherlands. Bahar's work investigates building miniaturized robotic swarms and algorithmic frameworks that enable sensing, surveying, and inspection applications. Her research involves mechatronics, embedded systems, and AI/ML models. Her work aims to produce novel surface, aquatic, and aerial miniaturized robot swarms and small-scale intelligent devices that can benefit several commercially promising applications in domains such as inspection of complex structures, environmental monitoring, and search-and-rescue robot swarms. Her research group is embedded within the Discrete Technology & Production Automation (DTPA) group at ENTEG.

Dr Bahar Haghighat obtained her PhD in Robotics, Control, and Intelligent Systems in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Alcherio Martinoli from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, and her Master's and Bachelor's degrees respectively in Electrical Engineering/Digital Electronics and Electrical Engineering/Physics (double major) from Sharif University of Technology (SUT) in Tehran, Iran. She has been a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University and a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University under the supervision of Prof. Radhika Nagpal. Her PhD research focused on mechatronic design and development of an aquatic swarm of miniaturized resource-constrained robotic modules capable of performing self assembly. Her postdoctoral research focused on mechatronic design, algorithmic development, and modeling of a swarm of sensing robots for infrastructure-related applications. Bahar Haghighat has been selected as an EECS Rising Star in 2021 (MIT) and in 2019 (UIUC). She is the recipient of EPFL's PhD research award of Gilbert Hausmann for the best PhD thesis in the fields of mechanical engineering, electricity, and physics (2019), EPFL distinction of excellence for a PhD thesis in Robotics, Control, and Intelligent Systems (2018), two Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) post-doctoral fellowship awards (2017 and 2019), and the third place in EPFL's My Thesis in 180 Seconds competition (2017).

Application procedure

Step 1: Your application

After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation by email.

Step 2: Selection

The selection committee assesses your application and you will be notified as soon as possible whether you are invited for an interview.

Step 3: First interview

We would like to get to know each other better in a first interview, which can take place either online or on location.

Step 4: Second interview and possible assessment or guest lecture

We may schedule a second interview with you. Depending on the position, this interview can be complemented with an assessment or guest lecture.

Step 5: Terms of employment meeting

After a positive interview, we will discuss the terms of employment together. When everything is completed, we are happy to welcome you at the University of Groningen!

Interested?

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Opleidingsniveau: WO
Carrièreniveau: Ervaren
Uren: 33 - 40 uur per week

Company Information

Company Name: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Company Website: https://www.rug.nl/

The Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, officially the University of Groningen (UG), is a public research university located in Groningen, the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, it is one of the oldest universities in the country and a key institution for research, education, and knowledge transfer. The university's mission is to contribute to science and society by advancing knowledge through high-quality research and by training generations of professionals who can apply that knowledge to real-world challenges. The UG operates across multiple faculties and institutes, spanning the natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medicine, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. While the core educational and scholarly activity covers a broad spectrum, the university places particular emphasis on technological and computational disciplines and maintains a robust ecosystem for technology-oriented research and innovation. A central hub for science and engineering is the Zernike Campus, a campus complex in Groningen that houses many of the university’s science faculties, graduate schools, and research laboratories. The Zernike Campus provides modern facilities designed to support both fundamental research and applied development, including laboratories for experimental physics, chemistry, material science, and biology, as well as computational infrastructure for data-intensive research and high-performance computing. The University of Groningen is home to the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, a premier research center that brings together mathematicians, computer scientists, and AI researchers to pursue both theoretical and applied work. The Bernoulli Institute serves as a focal point for cross-disciplinary research, enabling collaborations that span algorithm design, machine learning, statistical modelling, computational geometry, symbolic reasoning, and AI applications. Through such interdisciplinary hubs, the university fosters innovation at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and information technology to address complex problems in science and society. In practice, the UG’s technology-relevant activities unfold in several threads: education and training, research, and knowledge transfer. On the education side, the university offers a broad portfolio of degree programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels across sciences and engineering, many of which are delivered in English to attract international students and researchers. Degree programs span mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, data science, engineering, environmental and sustainable technologies, bioinformatics, neuroscience, and related fields. The university’s curricula are designed to equip graduates with a strong foundation in scientific principles, practical problem-solving skills, and exposure to contemporary tech trends such as AI, machine learning, data analytics, simulation, and energy materials. Across its programs, UG emphasizes critical thinking, experimental training, and hands-on experiences through laboratory work, project-based learning, internships, and industry collaborations. In recent years, the University of Groningen has significantly expanded its capacity for research that translates into real-world technology and innovation. The institution emphasizes knowledge transfer through partnerships with business and public institutions, licensing and patenting of university-developed technologies, and the creation of spin-off companies that can bring research outcomes to market. While the details of individual partnerships are continually evolving, the broad pattern is clear: research teams collaborate with industry to solve practical challenges, from software engineering and data science to advanced materials, health technology, and sustainable energy systems. The university actively participates in international research networks and collaborates with universities, research institutes, and industry partners around the world. This global footprint supports joint projects, exchange programs, and shared access to facilities, enabling the university to attract leading researchers and provide students with exposure to diverse engineering and technological cultures. The University of Groningen places a high priority on open science and data governance, ensuring that research outputs, software, and data produced within the institution are accessible to the wider community where appropriate, while maintaining rigorous standards for ethics and privacy. In computational and data-driven domains, UG researchers contribute to advances in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, cryptography, and cybersecurity, alongside theoretical work in mathematics and algorithmic design. The Bernoulli Institute, in particular, fosters collaborations across disciplines to tackle foundational questions in mathematics and computer science while supporting practical applications such as data-intensive modelling, robust algorithms, and AI-driven analytics. The university’s research ecosystem includes strong computational infrastructure, with high-performance computing resources, data centres, and experimental facilities that enable cutting-edge work in genetics, physics, and materials science. Students at UG benefit from this ecosystem through opportunities to engage in research projects, internships, and co-created industry-led programs that provide real-world experience and career-readiness. The University of Groningen’s technology-related activities are anchored in its mission to create knowledge for society. The institution seeks to translate research excellence into societal impact by collaborating with industry, startups, non-profit organizations, and government bodies. Through such partnerships, UG contributes to the development of new software tools, algorithms, and technologies that address societal challenges such as health care, climate change, sustainability, and digital security. In addition to formal degree programs and research projects, the university hosts innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives to support students and researchers who want to translate ideas into practical products or services. These efforts often include mentorship, seed funding, business development training, and access to a network of potential partners, customers, and investors. Overall, the University of Groningen stands as a historic yet forward-looking institution where education and research intersect with technology and innovation. It champions rigorous scientific inquiry, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and seeks to empower students, researchers, and collaborators to drive technological progress that benefits society at large.

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