Research Associate in Human-Robot Interaction

In this role you advance socially intelligent assistive robots for future healthcare within the CO-STAR programme. You will join SAIR in the Department of Engineering and collaborate with NHS professionals to translate research into real-world clinical settings. You will shape multidisciplinary studies in human–robot interaction, machine learning, and healthcare robotics, delivering novel systems and evidence of impact. The work combines cutting-edge AI with human-centred design in a living lab environment, contributing to teams across academia and clinical practice. This position offers a meaningful opportunity to influence technology that supports patients and clinicians while advancing an

• shape and conduct high-quality multidisciplinary research within the CO-STAR project
• develop novel methods in human–robot interaction, machine learning, and socially intelligent robotics
• design, implement, and evaluate robotic and AI systems within healthcare robotics scope
• disseminate findings through publications and international conferences
• contribute to activities that maximise academic, clinical, and societal impact
• collaborate with the project team and GSTT to translate research into real-world healthcare settings

• PhD awarded (or near completion) in a relevant field
• strong research background in socially aware or human-centered AI, ML, robotics, and/or HRI
• strong publication record in peer-reviewed venues (ICRA, IROS, RA-L, CoRL, etc.)
• excellent Python programming skills and experience with deep learning frameworks
• experience with ROS and physical robotic platforms or simulations
• excellent written and verbal communication skills for academic and non-academic audiences

• collaborative in multidisciplinary environments
• clear scientific communication
• ability to work with diverse stakeholders (clinicians, patients, engineers)
• Python programming with deep learning frameworks
• Robot Operating System (ROS)
• multimodal machine learning