Two PhD Positions in Robot Learning for Manipulating Deformable Objects, KTH Stockholm (ERC GEOMANIP)

Job Description

These PhD positions in robot learning are at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. KTH is hiring two doctoral students for GEOMANIP, an ERC Starting Grant project. The project teaches robots to handle soft, deformable objects, such as cloth and cables, by using their geometry.

At a glance

• Position: Doctoral student, 2 positions, full time (ref. PA-2026-3293)
• Where: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
• Supervisor: Assistant Professor Noémie Jaquier
• Pay: Monthly salary under KTH’s doctoral student salary agreement (no figure in the ad)
• Duration: Up to 4 years of full-time doctoral study
• Start: By agreement
• Apply: 30 October 2026 (midnight Swedish time)

About the GEOMANIP robot learning PhD

• Build neural representations of deformable objects, inspired by continuum physics and differential geometry
• Work on one or more of: theory and geometric formalisation, representation learning, perception and state estimation, and robot policy learning and control
• Help build a physically grounded pipeline from perception to planning and control
• Publish your results and take part in the project team
• Spend up to 20% of your time on teaching or department duties

Why this role matters

Robots still struggle with things that bend and fold, like clothes, food and cables. A method grounded in geometry and physics could make that handling far more reliable. An ERC grant also gives the project steady funding for several years.

What KTH is looking for

• A second-cycle (master’s) degree, or 240 credits with at least 60 at second-cycle level, or equivalent
• English at the level of English B/6 in the Swedish system (this is mandatory)
• Programming in Python or C++
• A background in machine learning, robotics and/or differential geometry

Nice to have

• Knowledge of differential geometry
• Experience with real robots

Pay and location

The ad gives no salary figure. Pay follows KTH’s doctoral student salary agreement. The third-cycle subject is Computer Science. Doctoral study lasts at most 4 years full time. The first contract runs up to 1 year, then is renewed for up to 2 years at a time. KTH says the post may be security-sensitive under Sweden’s Protective Security Act, which would mean a security check.

How to apply

Apply through the official KTH page. The closing date is 30 October 2026 (midnight Swedish time).

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