Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Tensegrity Robot Design and Control

We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join the Protean Robotics Lab, directed by Prof. Robert Baines, at the Department of Engineering Science in central Oxford. The post is funded by the European Research Commission and is fixed term to 31/12/2028, with the possibility to extend.

You will be contributing to a project on designing and controlling robots built from tensegrity structures. By exploiting tensegrities' shape change and nonlinear mechanics, the research aims to unlock locomotion and manipulation skills impossible for conventional robots.

You will be involved in co-optimizing tensegrities' designs and control policies via simulation, as well as building and testing tensegrity hardware. You are expected to engage in supervision of undergraduate and graduate students working on the project.

You should possess a PhD/DPhil in Engineering, Robotics, or other related field, together with established knowledge of constructing and programming robots, including motor control and using simulators like IsaacLab or MujoCo. Experience with tensegrity systems is not required but is a plus.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Robert Baines (email: robert.baines@eng.ox.ac.uk)

For more information about working at the Department, see www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/. The Protean Robotics Lab is affiliated with the Oxford Robotics Institute, a group of 10 faculty working at the cutting edge of robotics and AI: https://ori.ox.ac.uk/.

Only online applications received before midday on 1 December 2026 can be considered. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV, and the contact details of two referees as part of your online application.

The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.

Keywords : Robotics, Tensegrity, Simulation, Mechanisms, Machine Learning