The Intelligent Vehicles (IV) group at TU Delft aims to increase the safety, comfort and sustainability of transportation by means of automated driving. The group conducts problem-driven research within the interdisciplinary spectrum of machine perception, dynamics and control, and human factors. The focus lies on complex (urban) traffic scenarios, on challenging vehicle driving manoeuvres and on the interaction of self-driving vehicles with humans.

The IV group seeks a highly qualified a Post-Doctoral Scientist with an interest in performing cutting edge research in the area of dynamic adaptation of decision-making, motion planning and control of nonlinear vehicle behaviour in adverse weather conditions.

This position is part of an ongoing EU project EVENTS (ReliablE in-Vehicle pErception and decisioN-making in complex environmenTal conditionS) involving several partners from the automotive industry and from research institutions across Europe.

More info: youtube.com/c/IntelligentVehiclesatTUDelft

The candidate will:

• Develop motion planning and decision making methods that adapt to slippery road conditions, to provide feasible and low-risk trajectories.
• Integrate the uncertainties from perception and localization into motion planning to improve decision-making and trajectory feasibility.
• Perform software- and hardware-in-the-loop simulations to improve real-time feasibility.
• Integrate the developed system with perception/localization in the TU Delft vehicle.
• Execute reproducible emergency manoeuvres (braking, steering) in slippery conditions using a driving robot and motion-synchronized dummies of vulnerable road users (e.g. pedestrian and cyclists).

Within EVENTS the candidate will collaborate with industrial and academic partners focusing on perception & localization using radar technology.

Within TU Delft, the candidate will join a multidisciplinary team working on motion planning and control in automated vehicles and developing advanced vehicle control strategies.   

• PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Control Engineering, Robotics, or comparable studies and experience.
• Proven experience in development of motion planning algorithms with decision-making.
• Preferred experience in data collection, system integration, and real-world testing.
• In particular we value experience in: optimisation-based motion planning, collision avoidance, nonlinear control, vehicle dynamics.
• Good programming skills are required, preferably including Python and C++.
• Strong analytical skills and ability/interest to work at the intersection of several research domains.
• Excellent track record in scientific research, as evident from papers in international and peer-reviewed journals.

For the overall balance in the department, we especially welcome applications from female scientists.  

Fixed-term contract: 2 years.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (salary indication: € 4.036 - € 5.090  per month gross). The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

This postdoc position has a fixed-term contract of 24 months.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the 3mE faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

3mE is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in 3mE’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.