PhD - Malleable melodies: adaptive robotic planning for precision tasks in deformable agricultural environments

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INRAE presentation

The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.

Work environment, missions and activities

Please read the scientific proposal available here: https://nextcloud.inrae.fr/s/SAxx9d6ATKRMbgK.

You will be welcomed in the TSCF (Technologies et Systèmes d'Information pour les Agrosystèmes) unit, located at 9 Avenue Blaise Pascal, 63170 Aubière, France. This PhD is a collaboration between INRAE, Institut Pascal, and TU Delft.

You will be in charge of:

• Developing planning and execution strategies for robotic manipulation in complex, deformable agricultural settings.
• Integrating high-level and low-level planning with real-time safety and efficiency considerations.
• Designing closed-loop approaches for robotic manipulation, continuously informed and adapted based on new sensory data.
• Developing active perception strategies that integrate a broad array of sensors (e.g., visual, depth, tactile, and force sensing) to reason about occluded or partially visible scenes.
• Dynamically inferring relevant physical properties (e.g., deformability, object health) and updating internal models.
• Exploring learning-based approaches that can adaptively update models based on new observations from various sensors.
• Presenting research at both national and international venues, including conferences such as the International Forum of Agricultural Robotics (FIRA), IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), and IEEE Transaction on Field Robotics (T-FR).

Work with various robots in outdoor environments.

Training and skills

Recommended training: MEng/MSc degree, or equivalent, in computer science, robotics, mathematics, physics, or related fields.

Knowledge required: Solid background in robotics, particularly in state estimation, planning, and control. Proficiency in programming (ROS2, C++, Python).

Appreciated experience: Some practical experience on robotics and machine learning.

Skills sought: Experience in robotic manipulation, deformable object control, and active perception strategies.

 

To apply, please send us an email including the following documents:

• A statement of research interests / cover letter
• A detailed resume
• University transcripts or grades
• Recommendation letters (optional)

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):

- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

The Cézeaux site is served by subway line A, and is also equipped with parking facilities and services dedicated to cycling.

How to apply

I send my CV and my motivation letter