Research Associate in Distributed Control of Air-Ground Robots, IIT Delhi (ANRF Project)

Job Description

IIT Delhi is hiring a Research Associate in multi-robot control in the Department of Electrical Engineering, New Delhi. The project builds resilient distributed control for teams of aerial and ground robots working in disaster zones. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) funds it.

At a glance

• Post: Research Associate-I (1)
• Where: Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi, New Delhi
• Pay: ₹58,000 a month plus HRA at 27%
• Duration: Contractual, renewed yearly after performance review, up to the end of the project (10 June 2029)
• Apply by: 21 October 2026, 5:00 pm, by email

The advertisement is IITD/IRD/269/2026, dated 6 October 2026. The project is “Resilient Distributed Control for Air-Ground Robots in Disaster Environments” (RM00190G_SN). It is funded by ANRF, Science and Engineering Research Board. The Principal Investigator is Prof. Priyank Srivastava of the Department of Electrical Engineering.

What the multi-robot control Research Associate works on

• Distributed control methods for teams of aerial and ground robots, as set out in the project title
• Making that control resilient, so the team keeps working in disaster conditions
• Optimisation of multi-agent systems, the desirable research background in the advertisement
• Work under the PI in the Department of Electrical Engineering

The advertisement gives the project title and the qualifications. It does not list day-to-day duties. The selection committee may downgrade the post if no candidate is found suitable.

Why this role matters

In a flood or an earthquake, drones and ground robots can search areas that are unsafe for people. But radio links drop and robots fail, so the team must keep working without a central controller. This project tackles that problem. A Research Associate post is also a funded step after a PhD while you build a postdoc record in India.

Eligibility

• Essential: a PhD in Control Systems or a closely related discipline
• Desirable: research experience in optimisation of multi-agent systems
• SC/ST candidates may get a 5% relaxation in marks

Only Indian nationals may apply. IIT Delhi may set higher criteria for shortlisting. Shortlisted names go up on the IRD website with the online interview details. Only shortlisted candidates are told about the interview. A retired government employee’s pay would be fixed under IRD norms.

Pay and duration

• Research Associate-I: ₹58,000 a month plus HRA at 27%
• Pay is subject to periodic performance review
• Contract renewable yearly, or until the project ends on 10 June 2029, whichever is earlier

How to apply

Download Form No. IRD/REC-4 from the IIT Delhi IRD recruitment page. Fill it in with your marks or division and your work experience. Email it to the PI, Prof. Priyank Srivastava, at the IIT Delhi address given in the advertisement. Put the advertisement number, IITD/IRD/269/2026, in the subject line.

Key dates

• Advertisement dated 6 October 2026
• Last date for emailed applications: 21 October 2026, 5:00 pm
• Shortlist and online interview details: on the IIT Delhi IRD website

Please read the official IIT Delhi advertisement IITD/IRD/269/2026 (PDF) before applying, and browse more research associate jobs on ResearchJobs.in.