2 PhD positions in Rehabilitation Robotics

Are you passionate about AI and rehabilitation robotics? This is your chance to make a meaningful impact! Join our ambitious initiative and contribute to advancing AI research for rehabilitation robotics.

Together with our partners at the Centro de Automática y Robótica in Madrid, the University of Twente, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Roessingh Research and Development in Enschede, and the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma our Lab is part of TAILOR, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network. In this network, 10 doctoral students will address the current challenges and opportunities of interactions of therapists, robots and patients, and develop and implement a holistic generalised framework with cooperative robotics and AI. Promotion of gait in stroke survivors will be used as a test scenario together with our clinical partners such as the Hospital Los Madroños and the Fondazione Santa Lucia. Together we strive for optimal personalised therapies, long-term functional effects and high efficacy of treatment outcomes to promote the final adoption of robotics in rehabilitation practice.

Two of the doctoral students will be employed at ETH. One will focus on the development of a virtual technician that mediates between the therapist and the executing robotic device ensuring that therapeutic instructions are directly converted into robotic commands. The other one will improve the information flow between the therapist and the robotic device by exploring modalities and data representation techniques beyond simple 2D graphics. The interactive tool should bring relevant information into focus quickly and in an intuitive way.

As these positions are part of a EU doctoral network, applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date (April 2025 forseen).

To apply, you should have a MSc in biomedical engineering, computer science, robotics or similar (to be obtained by March 2025). In addition, we expect:

• interdisciplinary and collaborative mindset and desire to work with people from different disciplines and backgrounds
• strong programming skills
• enthusiasm for user interface design
• excellent English communication skills

As a doctoral candidate in TAILOR, you will be part of a unique interdisciplinary training program that combines engineering excellence with clinical expertise and industrial innovation. You will work across academic institutions, rehabilitation centers, and leading companies in rehabilitation robotics, gaining comprehensive experience in technical development, clinical implementation, and technology transfer. The program includes specialized courses, workshops, and internships designed to develop not only your research capabilities but also your professional skills in project management, entrepreneurship, and ethical innovation.