Research Fellow / Research Engineer (Inspection Robot)

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Fellow / Research Engineer to join a research project on the digitalization and intelligence of train operations and maintenance. The project aims to develop an intelligent robotic system capable of autonomously conducting comprehensive underframe inspections of trains, reducing reliance on manual inspection while improving inspection efficiency, consistency, safety, and traceability.

The successful candidate will conduct the research and development of the autonomous robotic platform and its system integration, working closely with researchers, railway operators, train manufacturers, and industry partners to develop and validate the system in real-world railway depot environments.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Research, design, and develop an autonomous robotic system for train underframe inspection.
• Develop algorithms for robot localization, navigation, path planning, obstacle avoidance, and autonomous mission execution in complex and constrained railway depot environments.
• Work with other team members to design robotic software architecture, and integrate cameras, illumination systems, depth sensors, LiDAR, actuators, computing devices, and other inspection hardware onto the robotic platform.
• Work with other team members to integrate robotic hardware, navigation, perception, AI, and inspection modules into an end-to-end prototype.
• Conduct laboratory experiments and on-site trials in railway depot environments and evaluate the system in terms of navigation accuracy, inspection coverage, reliability, efficiency, safety, and robustness.
• Work closely with railway operators and industry partners to translate existing underframe inspection procedures into autonomous robotic workflows.
• Prepare technical reports, research publications, presentations, demonstrations, and other project deliverables.

Requirements

Applicants should preferably have:

• A PhD degree for Research Fellow, or Master's/Bachelor's degree with relevant experience for Research Engineer, in Robotics, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Relevant hands-on experience in field robotics, preferably involving industrial inspection, autonomous mobile robots, or other real-world robotic applications. 
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience in one or more of the areas, including: autonomous mobile robots, ROS/ROS2, SLAM and localization, robot navigation and path planning, robot control, sensor fusion, LiDAR and depth sensing, robot hardware and system integration, good programming skills in C++ and/or Python.
• Experience with edge computing platforms, cameras, LiDAR, IMUs, or related robotic sensors would be advantageous.
• Strong problem-solving and experimental skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with academic researchers and industry partners.