Open Positions

We are continuously looking for highly talented and self-motivated individuals who share our passion for robotics, AI and human-robot interaction.

Currently we are seeking to fill the position

• Open-Vocabulary Semantic SLAM and 3D Scene Graphs

by a PhD student. The position is fully funded (100%, TVL E13) for four years, partly by Cyber Valley and the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC.

You will conduct research in the above area with a focus on method development, empirical validation, and integration on real robot platforms. The candidate will be part of a team of 3-4 PhD students in the same area as well as an interdisciplinary project team within IntCDC. Clusters of Excellence are the highest funding category for collaborative research projects in Germany. IntCDC is a prestigious large-scale research initiative in the area of architecture, construction, and robotics. The position comes with light teaching responsibilities.

About the SIR lab

Founded in 2023, the Socially Intelligent Robotics Lab has the scientific vision to develop theory, methods, and experiments necessary for robots to perceive and understand their surroundings geometrically, semantically, and socially, and to enable highly context-aware, intelligent behavior and interaction. We have all the bells and whistles that a robotics lab needs today: robots (Spot, Pepper, go2, Baxter, Panda, Turtlebot, MiniPi, PR2 and the custom-made platforms Spencer and Daryl), sensors, lab space, and modern compute infrastructure. The lab is an informal, yet professional, fun-orientated yet ambitious place that aims to combine scientific excellence with a healthy and enjoyable working environment.

How to Apply

Apply by sending your CV in a single (!) pdf file via email to Francesca Quaranta (francesca.quaranta@ki.uni-stuttgart.de) with the subject “Application to PhD Position on 3D Semantic Scene Understanding”. Application deadline is March 30th, 2026. Applicants that arrive via the IMPRS-IS Interview Symposium follow the respective IMPRS-IS instructions.