Joining Biorob as a Postdoc or PhD student.
Normally, researchers join Biorob by applying to funded positions, which depend on the success of grant applications (see below). In some cases, it is possible to join the lab with personal scholarships, for instance the highly competitive grants from Marie Curie (postdoc call), Swiss NSF (postdoc call), HFSP (postdoc call) or others. Note that EPFL requires that the scholarships provide specific amounts for PhD students and postdoc salaries, and laboratories are required to contribute funds such as to reach those amounts (which we normally cannot afford, unfortunately). Therefore the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for PhD students (or those from the China Scholarship Council) are not so interesting for us as the lab needs to provide too much matching funds. In case you think you could apply for a sufficiently funded scholarship, you can contact [email protected] for a discussion.
Note also that PhD student positions are only open to applicants who have been accepted by the EPFL doctoral school (see http://phd.epfl.ch/). The first step is therefore to fill the applications for one of the relevant EPFL doctoral programs in robotics (https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/edrs-robotics-control-and-intelligent-systems/), or related fields. Deadlines are typically April 15 and December 15. It is a good idea to mention several potential hosting labs to increase your chances to be accepted by the doctoral program.
Summary of open positions
We have the following openings (NEW!):
- PhD position in robotic paleontology (mid 2026)
- PhD position on human motor control and robotic manipulation (with James Hermus at IDIAP in Martigny).
NEW! PhD student position in robotic paleontology
In a collaboration with, and thanks to a DFG grant allocated to Prof. John Nyakatura (Humboldt University, Berlin), the Biorobotics laboratory (Biorob, https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) expects to have open PhD student position on using robots as scientific tools for paleontology .
The project is similar to our previous OroBOT project and the objectives for the PhD student are (1) to develop modular legged robots that can be reconfigured for either sprawling or upright gaits, and (2) to use them to study the evolution from sprawling to erect locomotion as happened during the evolution from amphibian to reptile and to mammalian animals. The student will work closely with Prof Nyakatura and other partners.
Requirements:
Candidates need to have a Master degree in a field related to robotics, e.g. in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or physics. The ideal candidate for this position should have strong robotics and mechanical design skills, good math background, and interests in locomotion and evolution.
How to apply for the position:
Step 1: The position is only open to applicants who have been accepted by the EPFL doctoral school (see http://phd.epfl.ch/). The first step is therefore to fill the applications for one of the relevant EPFL doctoral programs in robotics (https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/edrs-robotics-control-and-intelligent-systems/), or related fields (next deadline December 15, 2025).
Step 2: In parallel to step 1, or once accepted by one of the doctoral programs (please specify which doctoral program and the date of acceptance), the application to the position should be sent by email to Prof. Auke Ijspeert, and consist of a motivation letter (explaining why you are interested in the project, and why you feel qualified for it) and a copy of the doctoral program application.
Informal inquiries about the relevance of an application can be sent to [email protected] (e.g. before or while submitting an application to the doctoral school), but responses can be slow because of a heavy schedule and a filled mail box.
Deadline and starting date:
Applications will be considered starting from now on, and then continuously until the position is filled. A good starting date would be June or September 2026.
Contact:
Information concerning the type of research carried out by the lab can be found at https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/ . You should send your application and any inquiry by email to: [email protected]
NEW! PhD student position on human motor control and robotic manipulation (with James Hermus at IDIAP in Martigny).
Supervisors: James Hermus, PhD (Idiap); Sylvain Calinon, PhD (Idiap); and Prof. Auke Ijspeert (EPFL)
Location: Idiap Research Institute, Martigny, Switzerland
Start date: September 2026 (flexible)
We are seeking a PhD student to join a new research project on human motor control and robotic manipulation, funded by an SNSF Ambizione grant led by Dr James Hermus.
The goal of the project is to investigate how humans regulate impedance during physical interaction, and how these principles can inspire robotic control and learning algorithms. This position will bridge neuroscience, control theory, and robot learning-combining human experiments, computational modeling, and robotic implementation.
The student will be based at the Idiap Research Institute (Martigny, Switzerland), as part of the Robot Learning & Interaction Group (led by Sylvain Calinon, PhD) and collaborate with the BioRobotics Laboratory (Prof. Auke Ijspeert) at EPFL.
Ideal candidate profile:
- Master’s degree in robotics, mechanical/electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field
- Strong background in control systems, robotics, or machine learning, and solid mathematical foundations
- Interest in human motor control, physical interaction, and neuroscience-inspired robotics
How to apply for the position:
Step 1: The position is only open to applicants who have been accepted by the EPFL doctoral school (see http://phd.epfl.ch/). The first step is therefore to fill the applications for one of the relevant EPFL doctoral programs in robotics (https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/edrs-robotics-control-and-intelligent-systems/), or related fields (next deadline December 15, 2025).
Step 2: In parallel to step 1, or once accepted by one of the doctoral programs (please specify which doctoral program and the date of acceptance), the application to the position should be sent by email to Dr [email protected] , and consist of a motivation letter (explaining why you are interested in the project, and why you feel qualified for it) and a copy of the doctoral program application.
Informal inquiries about the relevance of an application can be sent to Dr [email protected] (e.g. before or while submitting an application to the doctoral school), but responses can be slow because of a heavy schedule and a filled mail box.
Master’s projects and pathway to PhD
If you are a current Master’s student interested in a semester project, Master’s thesis, or a visiting/internship project related to this topic, please contact Dr [email protected].