The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is Singapore’s first University of Applied Learning, offering industry-relevant degree programmes that prepare its graduates to be work- and future-ready professionals. Its mission is to maximise the potential of its learners and to innovate with industry, through an integrated applied learning and research approach, so as to contribute to the economy and society.

The university’s unique pedagogy integrates work and study, embracing authentic learning in a real-world environment through collaborations with key strategic partners. Its focus on applied research with business impact is aimed at helping industry innovate and grow. Targeted to be ready in 2024, SIT’s centralised campus within the larger Punggol Digital District will feature a vibrant learning environment where academia and industry will be tightly integrated with the community.

SIT espouses an applied learning approach and offers degrees with a strong focus on science and technology. Our faculty work closely with industry on translational research and innovation, as well as provide consultancy on solutions to industry challenges. This well-established nexus with industry endows our graduates with deep skills and work-ready training experience – attuning them to the needs and demands of the future economy.

SIT is expanding its Robotics and Embodied AI (EAI) capabilities, building a cohort of academic staff who are keen and experienced working on industry problems in relevant areas. At SIT, Robotics and Embodied AI faculty will have the opportunity to shape and lead applied research in a unique real-world environment. Located within Punggol Digital District (PDD), SIT’s purpose-built campus serves as a living lab for precinct-scale robotics test-bedding, where faculty can work with government and industry partners to develop, validate and deploy next-generation robotic systems safely and at scale. Candidates will contribute to industry-relevant research in embodied AI, simulation and digital twins, cybersecurity, robot operations and related areas, with a strong emphasis on translation into real-world applications. Through collaborations with leading robot companies and end-users, faculty will help solve practical deployment challenges, build shared digital infrastructure, and train the next generation of robotics talent for Singapore’s future economy.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to applied research projects with industry partners and government agencies.
• Develop and teach Robotics and Embodied AI courses within the cluster’s programmes and across relevant interdisciplinary modules.
• Supervise Industry Doctorate/Masters and capstone projects in collaboration with domain faculty and industry partners.
• Contribute to SIT’s continuing education offerings.
• Serve as embodied AI mentor for existing SIT domain faculty through joint projects and co-supervision mechanisms.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Robotics, Mechanical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or a relevant domain with demonstrated embodied AI research experience. Equivalent industry experience may also be considered.
• Technical expertise and track record in the following areas (ideally at least two):
  • Policy Learning and Robotics Control: Imitation / reinforcement learning, generative policies, residual learning, cross-embodiment generalisation.
  • Robotics Data Engineering: Data capture, synchronisation, calibration, evaluation harnesses and simulation data pipelines
  • Foundation Models & World Models for Robotics: VLA grounding, planning interfaces and world-model reasoning for robots
  • State Estimation, Perception and Sensor Fusion: 3D scene understanding, diagnostics, active and manipulation-centric perception
  • System Integration, Deployment & RobotOps: ROS2 systems integration, runtime robustness, safety and field deployment engineering
  • Swarm Robotics & Multi-Agent Systems: Decentralised coordination, shared mapping and resilient communications
  • Fleet Management & Remote Operations: Mission control, tele-operation, network resilience and lifecycle operations
  • Cyber-Physical Security & Trustworthy Robotics: Threat modelling, resilience, incident response, AI ethics and data privacy
• Experience applying embodied AI to real-world use areas will be advantageous, such as (non-exhaustive):
  • Facility Management
  • Healthcare
  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Urban Systems
  • Biotechnology & Chemical Engineering
• Demonstrated leadership and evidence of working on industry/society-defined problems
• Strong connections with international partners and organisations will be advantageous.
• Experience with industry research collaborations, applied research grants, and/or system deployment
• Established thought leadership and/or professional standing e.g. publications in top journals and keynotes, in addition to non-publication outputs and impact such as open-source tools, technical reports, patents, deployed systems
• Demonstrated track record of cross-disciplinary collaborations
• Ability to communicate clearly with domain experts, industry practitioners and general public

What SIT offers:

• An applied research environment, working together with industry partners, to tackle real-world problems
• SIT values applied research impact and evaluates faculty accordingly on how their research had made a difference to society or industry
• Opportunities to work on a coherent robotics & embodied AI research agenda with colleagues across disciplines
• Access to Punggol Digital District ecosystem as testbeds for applied research
• A meaningful role in building Singapore’s robotics & embodied AI research capability at a pivotal moment
• Singapore’s exceptional quality of life, competitive personal tax environment, and position as Asia’s leading research and innovation hub

How to apply:

Candidates should submit the following:

• Curriculum vitae including grants, outputs (code, datasets, patents, technical disclosures) and publications
• Cover Letter
• Research statement (up to 2 pages) addressing your applied AI research programme, how it connects to SIT’s cluster context, and your experience with industry-connected research
• Teaching statement (up to 1 page) addressing your approach to applied learning
• Three highlights of research outputs with a brief explanation of each output’s impact