Research Associate – Embodied AI & Robotic Manipulation

About the role

The School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at NTU is seeking a motivated Research Associate to advance embodied AI and robotic manipulation. The role involves developing AI‑driven perception and control algorithms and integrating them with real robotic platforms to support cutting‑edge research and real‑world applications.

Key responsibilities

• Design, implement and evaluate perception and control algorithms for robotic arms and embodied AI systems.
• Integrate multimodal AI models (vision, language, force sensing) with hardware platforms.
• Conduct experiments in simulation and on physical robots, analysing performance and robustness.
• Maintain and operate laboratory equipment, including robotic manipulators and mobile robots.
• Prepare research publications, technical reports and presentation materials.
• Collaborate with faculty, post‑doctoral researchers and industry partners on joint projects.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• At least two first‑author papers in top‑tier journals or conferences.
• Hands‑on experience with robotic perception, control or learning‑based methods.
• Demonstrated ability to work with robotic hardware such as UR5, Franka Emika or similar.

Required skills

• Python programming.
• C++ programming.
• Robotic middleware (ROS, MoveIt).
• Machine learning, reinforcement learning or vision‑language models applied to robotics.
• Experience integrating sensors and actuators on robotic arms.