3 fully-funded UK PhD studentships on Human-like Robot Dexterity

IMPORTANT: Home (UK and Irish) citizens only (*)

You will be based in Bristol Robotics Laboratory and the University of Bristol, to join a team researching the design, fabrication and control of tactile robotic hands with human-like dexterity, with supervisor Prof. Nathan Lepora. You will work with Dr Ed John’s research group on Robot Leraning at Imperial Imperial College London.

Robust manipulation with robotic hands would have revolutionary implications for industry and society, and are the key bottleneck in practical humanoid robots. It is now possible to 3D-print an entire dexterous robot hand including the tactile sensing for controlling the hand using technology developed in Bristol.

The role is part of a large ARIA-funded project on ‘Democratising Co-Design of Hardware and Control for Robot Dexterity’ within their £60M Robot Dexterity program, jointly with Dr Ed Johns in Imperial College London who will lead a team on Robot Learning that will collaborate closely with our team in Bristol.

You will benefit from working with world-leading teams researching the frontiers of robot dexterity and robot learning. The PhD will be based in Bristol Robotics Laboratory (www.brl.ac.uk), the largest centre for multidisciplinary robotics research in the UK. The Dexterous Robotics group lead by Prof. Lepora has a strong track record of encouraging excellence from researchers, resulting in leading publication records and careers in academia or industry.

Joining the ARIA Robot Dexterity program is a unique opportunity to work with over 30 world-leading teams and companies in advanced robotics and AI. You can expect opportunities such as a extensive network of contacts at DeepMind and other leading tech. companies and possibility of paid internships during your PhD. You will be part of a revolutionary program that has the potential for a long-lasting impact on society and industry.

Particulars:

This is a fully-funded PhD studentship at standard UKRI rates (currently £19,237 for 2024/25, which will increase annually with inflation). Fees for UK and Irish students will be covered. There will be additional funds from the project grant for equipment and travel as needed. A further opportunity is that substantial funds are available for paid work additional to research on the PhD.

You will be working in a closely integrated team of 4-5 PhD students, 2 postdoctoral researchers, and a PI who will be personally carrying out research.

The studentships can start anytime in 2025 and last for 4 years. They will remain open until filled, with a preference towards an early start.

Links:

Nathan Lepora’s research: www.lepora.com
Bristol news article: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/may/aria-funding.html
Advert: www.findaphd.com/phds/project/dexterous-3d-printed-robot-hands-aria-uk-phd-studentships/?p184645

ARIA robot dexterity program: www.aria.org.uk/robot-dexterity/
Details of ours and other programs: https://www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/smarter-robot-bodies/robot-dexterity/meet-the-creators

Guardian article on ARIA program: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/sep/22/its-the-robot-we-were-all-expecting-like-c3po-why-arent-humanoids-in-our-homes-yet

Contact:

Please contact Professor Nathan Lepora (n.lepora@bristol.ac.uk) for more details about this post and to apply. Eligible applicants should send a short CV (2 pages max), transcript and statement describing why they are interested in the post. We will keep applications open until the posts are filled.

* NOTE: This scholarship is eligible ONLY to UK and Irish citizens or EU applicants who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years and have UK settlement or pre-settlement status under the EU Settlement Scheme.