Swarm of multiple co-operative and autonomous low-cost robots for search and rescue

We are recruiting new Doctoral Researchers to our EPSRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) PhD studentships starting 1 October 2023. Applications are invited for the project Swarm of multiple cooperative and autonomous low-cost robots for search and rescue

Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) of approximately £19,668, including inner London weighting, plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of 42 months (3.5 years).

You should be eligible for home (UK) tuition fees there are a very limited number (no more than three) of studentships available to overseas applicants, including EU nationals, who meet the academic entry criteria including English Language proficiency.

You will join the internationally recognised researchers in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

The project

Search and rescue (SAR) services work with extreme caution in a disaster scene as unstable rubble is dangerous for the potential survivors and the rescue workers. To reduce the risk SAR robots have been being used in various capacities. However, the robots that are used are expensive have limited functions and rely primarily on an operator.

Thus, this project aims to develop a swarm of multiple cooperative and autonomous low-cost search and rescue robots.

Please contact Professor Maysam Abbod at maysam.abbod@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the studentships.

Eligibility

Applicants will have or be expected to receive a first or upper-second-class honours degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Mathematics, Physics or a similar discipline. A Postgraduate Master's degree is not required but may be an advantage.

Skills and experience

Applicants will be required to demonstrate their ability to demonstrate his/her strong programming skills and experience in robotics (experimental, modelling and/or analytical experience), machine vision and machine learning algorithms, and CAD software such as Solidworks or equivalent. The applicant should be highly motivated, able to work independently as well as in a team, collaborate with others and have good communication skills.

How to apply

There are two stages of the application:

1.Applicants must submit the pre-application form via the following link https://brunel.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/epsrc-dtp-23-24-pre-application-form-brunel-university-lon-3 by 16.00 on Friday 26 May 2023.

2.If you are shortlisted for the interview, you will be asked to email the following documentation in a single PDF file to cedps-studentships@brunel.ac.uk within 24 hours.

• Your up-to-date CV;
• Your Undergraduate degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) essential;
• Your Postgraduate Masters degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) if applicable;
• Your valid English Language qualification of IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in each section) or equivalent, if applicable;
• Contact details for TWO referees, one of which can be an academic member of staff in the College.

Applicants should therefore ensure that they have all of this information in case they are shortlisted.

Interviews will take place in June 2023.