The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs 6,000 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of 16,000 people, including over 10,000 students and 3,500 researchers from 120 different countries.
Joint PhD position at UNFoLD & BioRob
The unsteady flow diagnostics laboratory ‐ UNFoLD (https://www.epfl.ch/labs/unfold/) and the biorobotics lab – BioRob (https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) invite applications by highly motivated students with an affinity for experimental work and interest in understanding and controlling animal swimming and vortices for PhD position at the intersection of biorobotics and fluid dynamics.
The goals of this interdisciplinary project are to decode the mechanisms underlying synchronized swimming in fish and to implement them in swimming robots. The candidate will work at the intersection of fluid dynamics and biorobotics and use state of the art tools from both domains, e.g. time-resolved flow field measurements and a recirculating water channel at UNFoLD and swimming robots from BioRob.
Candidates should hold a master’s degree (or exceptionally a four-year bachelor’s degree) in robotics, physics, aeronautical or mechanical engineering. We are seeking candidates with an affinity for experimental research. Previous exposure to robotics, control theory, or unsteady fluid dynamics is an advantage.
The position requires acceptance into the doctoral program in mechanics (EDME) or robotics (EDRS). More information about the PhD admission criteria & application can be found here. The next application deadline for the doctoral program in robotics is 15.01.2021, the next deadline for the doctoral program in mechanics is 15.04.2021, but a review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled. An overview of the deadlines of the doctoral programs can be found here.
To apply, please fill out your application to one of the doctoral programs and send a copy of your doctoral program application documents by email to Prof. Karen Mulleners and Prof. Auke Ijspeert. Please highlight in your motivation letter why you are interested in the project and why you feel qualified for it.