Research Assistant or Associate in Multifunctional Polymer Composites for Tactile Sensitive Robotic Skin
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant / Associate post in multifunctional soft composite materials, part of the MagTecSkin project. MagTecSkin is one of the 10 projects funded by the ARIA (UK Advanced Research + Invention Agency) Robot Dexterity Programme, and is a collaboration with University College London, INESC Microssistemas e Nanotecnologias (Portugal) and Universidad de O’Higgins (Chile).
Tactile sensitive soft electronic skins have great potential to increase robot dexterity in unstructured and semi-structured environments, especially when challenging objects (e.g. delicate, deformable, damp) have to be handled. Despite the recent progress in the field, current tactile sensitive skins into robots still presents a number of significant challenges. The key performance parameters that this project will address are: (i) sensitivity to deformations and forces, (ii) repeatability and (iii) sampling rate, (iv) coverage area, (v) spatial resolution and (vi) temporal resolution.
What you would be doing
You will develop novel stretchable conductive polymer composites to be integrated in robotic arms as magnetic tactile sensing skins.
In this project, you will:
- Review the literature on the potentials and limitations of polymer and polymer nanocomposites for soft robotic skins;
- Select the most suitable materials (e.g. thermoplastic elastomers and conductive particles) and manufacturing method;
- Prepare and test smart polymer nanocomposites films for mechanical, electrical and sensing properties and benchmark it against state-of-art;
- Integrate the smart polymer nanocomposites manufactured and tested in a robotic hand.
What we are looking for
Research Associate: Hold a PhD in multifunctional polymer composites or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research experience
Research Assistant: A first / masters degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related discipline.
Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant.
- Expertise in materials selection, manufacture and characterisation of multifunctional polymer composites.
- Creative problem-solving skills and ability to work independently
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to deal with a wide range of people.
What we can offer you
- Shape the future of a Soft Robotics.
- Closely collaborate with top international academic research groups and Institutions.
- The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to pursue science for the benefit of society.
- Sector-leading salary and remuneration package.
Further information
The post is available until 31 May 2027.
We are hoping that the successful candidate will start her/his contract as soon as possible. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. Emiliano Bilotti in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College.
Job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.
If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don’t hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk . We’re here to help.
We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated, should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
About Imperial
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