PhD Positions in Autonomous Drone Flight in Confined Spaces for Wind Turbine Inspection

The PhD positions at the SDU UAS Center focus on autonomous flight in confined and cluttered environments for multi-rotor drones, specifically for wind turbine inspection. The research involves developing an Automated Service Inspection (ASI) system in collaboration with Vestas, addressing challenges like GNSS-denied navigation, perception, and safe motion planning. The role includes prototyping drones, integrating autonomy with inspection payloads, and conducting flight tests at turbine sites. The candidates will contribute to the center's project portfolio and may co-supervise student projects.

Responsibilities

• State estimation and localisation in GNSS-denied, confined environments (visual-inertial odometry (VIO), simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM), sensor fusion).
• Real-time perception.
• Motion planning and control for safe, agile flight in close proximity to obstacles and infrastructure.
• Prototyping of drones and payloads tailored to confined-space inspection, from concept and mechanical/electronics integration to flight-ready platforms.
• Integration of autonomy with onboard inspection payloads (cameras, microphones) and existing turbine data.
• Operation and flight testing of multi-rotor UAS, including experiments at turbine sites.
• The positions may involve co-supervising related student projects. The candidates will be part of the SDU UAS Center and are expected to participate in the center's project portfolio and outreach activities.

Requirements

• We expect that you hold an MSc, or expect to complete one before the start date, in engineering, robotics, or computer science, or another related field. You do not need to cover every area below, but you should have experience with, and a genuine interest in, some of the following:
• Research and development within autonomous navigation, state estimation, or motion planning for robots or UAS.
• Research and development within UAS platforms, subsystems, and payloads.
• Prototyping of drones and payloads (mechanical design, electronics, systems integration).
• Perception and machine learning for robotics.
• Software design and development (C, C++, Python), including real-time and embedded systems.
• UAS operations (experiments, piloting).
• We furthermore expect that you publish findings at recognised international conferences and in top-ranked, peer-reviewed journals.
• For certain projects and tasks at the Drone Labs at HCA Airport, a security check by relevant authorities and a driving license are required.

Benefits

• Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position, and the monthly gross salary incl. pension is 37.075 DKK. If you have relevant postgraduate experience, you may be placed on a higher salary step.
• Applicants must hold a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrollment and employment. Employment is contingent on enrollment approved by the PhD School. Enrollment will be in accordance with Faculty regulations and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD order). Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state including the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described therein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).
• Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements. As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process. SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary. Further information on salary and taxation.
• Persons employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”.