Postdoc Position in Safe and Networked Control for AI-Assisted Teleoperation

Supervisors: Prof. Lorenzo Masia, Dr. Hamid Sadeghian
Location: Garmisch-Partenkirchen Campus, Germany

About us

The TUM Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) is a globally visible, interdisciplinary research center dedicated to machine intelligence—the integration of robotics, artificial intelligence, and perception. MIRMI’s research addresses key societal challenges across its central innovation sectors: the future of health, work, environment, and mobility. More than 70 professors from multiple TUM faculties collaborate within MIRMI, fostering an exceptional environment for cutting-edge, high-impact research.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join a research project on AI-enhanced teleoperation and safe edge-cloud robotic control at our Garmisch-Partenkirchen campus.

The project investigates how advanced robotic control and AI-assisted teleoperation can be safely deployed over communication networks with latency, packet loss, and other uncertainties. The central research objective is to develop a passivity-based, controller-agnostic safety layer that enables human and AI-generated control commands to be executed safely on remote robotic systems while preserving high control performance.

The research will build on an existing 5G-enabled teleoperation platform at the MIRMI and will involve real-time control, networked robotics, passivity-based control, human–robot interaction, and AI-assisted shared control.

A key aspect of the project is that the development of new AI or foundation models is not the focus. Instead, existing AI-based control policies will be treated as control modules and integrated into the proposed safety architecture. The main scientific contribution lies in the control, safety, adaptation, and networked robotics aspects of the system.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and validate a passivity-based safety layer for networked robotic control under communication delays and packet loss.
• Develop methods for handling heterogeneous control inputs, including human teleoperation commands and AI-generated control policies.
• Integrate existing AI-based controllers into the teleoperation framework and investigate AI-assisted human–robot shared control.
• Maintain active communication and collaboration with industrial and academic partners involved in the project.
• Support the acquisition and management of research funding, including identifying opportunities, building consortia, and contributing to proposal writing.
• Drive the publication of research results in top-tier robotics conferences and journals.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Strong publication record in telerobotics, shared control, or human-robot interaction, particularly under network constraints.
• Proficiency in working with hardware such as robot arms and software programming in C++/Python, ROS and MATLAB.
• Excellent command of English; German language skills are a plus.
• High motivation and the ability to work independently as well as within an international, interdisciplinary team.

Experience with one or more of the following would be advantageous:

• Passivity-based control, energy tanks, or Time Domain Passivity Approach (TDPA).
• Teleoperation or haptic interfaces.
• Networked control systems and communication-induced delays.

What We Offer

• A dynamic and stimulating research environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities.
• The opportunity to engage in high-impact research at the forefront of robotics and AI.
• A unique platform for networking with global experts in robotics, innovative industry leaders, and policymakers.
• The chance to shape scientific and technological directions within the European robotics and AI ecosystem.
• Payment will be based on the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service (TV-L).

Equal Opportunity Statement

TUM is committed to increasing the proportion of women in its workforce and explicitly encourages applications from qualified women. The position is suitable for disabled persons. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in the case of generally equivalent suitability, aptitude, and professional performance. International applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Process

We look forward to receiving your complete application. Please upload them using the subject line “92MIRMIPostdoc GAP” via the following link: here.

Required documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae, including contact details of at least two academic references
2. Academic transcripts (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees)
3. Two to three representative publications or project reports demonstrating relevant expertise (if available)

Application Deadline:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Priority will be given to applications received by October 18th, 2026.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Note on data protection:

As part of your application, you provide personal data to the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Please view our privacy policy on collecting and processing personal data in the course of the application process pursuant to Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR) at https://portal.mytum.de/kompass/datenschutz/Bewerbung/. By submitting your application you confirm to have read and understood the data protection information provided by TUM.

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Kontakt: hamid.sadeghian@tum.de