Open Positions

Mobile manipulation

Tasks
The job duties and responsibilities include teaching in the field of computer science and robotics research with a focus on "mobile manipulation" and "cognitive systems".

Desired Skills
The successful applicant has completed a Master's degree in computer science or a closely related discipline. He or she should possess excellent skills and practical experience in one or more of the following research areas: manipulation, grasping, computer vision, machine learning, motion planning. Experience with programming manipulators is desirable and knowledge of object-oriented programming is required. Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.

About the Robotics and Biology Laboratory
The Robotics and Biology Laboratory is an international leader in the field of autonomous mobile manipulation. The lab is generously funded through the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt professorship by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. It has large, newly renovated laboratory and office space on the campus of the TU Berlin in the middle of Berlin. The lab home to top-notch, state-of-the-art mobile manipulators and robots; it is equipped with all the toys and bells and whistles that a roboticist might desire. The lab maintains close research ties to top universities in Germany, Europe, and the USA. The Robotics and Biology Laboratory provides an ideal environment for launching a successful career in academia or industry.  See also http://www.robotics.tu-berlin.de

About Berlin
Berlin is a thriving center for science, culture, politics, and media right in the middle of Europe. Berlin is the most populous city in Germany, but through its many parks, forests, and lakes within the city limits, it provides a quality of life that is quite unique among large cities in the world. At the same time, the cost of living is very low. Berlin is home to four high-quality universities and many academic, governmental, and industrial research organizations. Wikipedia about Berlin: "The metropolis is home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. Berlin's urban landscape and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for international film productions. The city is recognized for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts and a high quality of living. Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist."

How to Apply
Please email your application, including cover letter, CV, scanned transcripts, diplomas, publications, theses, other supporting material, and the contact information of at least two references as a single PDF file to robotics@robotics.tu-berlin.de. If you have questions regarding the position, please contact:

Mrs. Henrietta Schiffer
Tel. +49 30 314-73 110
Fax  +49 30 314-21 116
robotics@robotics.tu-berlin.de
Robotics: Mobile Manipulation (PhD student)

Computational Biology

Position: Phd student, Post-doctoral researcher
Topic: Research in protein structure prediction, protein docking, and protein flexibility

About the Research
The Robotics and Biology Laboratory conducts innovative research in protein structure prediction, protein docking, and protein flexibility. Inspired by the representational similarities between robots at the macro-scale and proteins at the micro-scale, we are advancing computational structural biology by leveraging insights, algorithms, and techniques from robotics, robot motion planning, and AI in the biological domain. We demonstrated the success and potential impact of our strategies and methods in the most recent community-wide experiment on the critical assessment of techniques for protein structure prediction (CASP). Our research has already caught the attention of top researchers in computational biology.  Several innovative research projects are under way, all of which with the potential for substantial and lasting impact on computational biology. The successful applicant will play an important role in these projects.  The specifics of the projects will be tailored to the preferences, skills, and experience of the applicant.

Our lab is ideal for computer scientists who want to apply their expertise to the field of computational biology and for the computational biologist who wants to learn and apply a new set of innovative computational tools and perspectives for conducting cutting-edge research in computational biology.

Desired Skills
The successful applicant has completed a Masters degree (Ph.D. degree for post-doctoral researchers) in computer science, computational biology, bioinformatics, or a closely related discipline. He or she should possess excellent skills and practical experience in one or more of the following research areas: robotics, AI, protein structure prediction, protein docking, protein flexibility. We do not expect applicants to be experts in computer science and biology at the same time but instead will provide training for the skills required for the research. Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.  Knowledge of German is useful but not required.

About the Robotics and Biology Laboratory
The Robotics and Biology Laboratory is one of the few successful laboratories world-wide performing research at the intersection of robotics and computational biology. The lab is generously funded through the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt-Professorship by the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation. It has large, newly renovated laboratory and office space on the campus of the TU Berlin in the middle of Berlin. The lab is equipped with a large dedicated compute cluster. The lab maintains close research ties to top universities in Germany, Europe, and the USA. The Robotics and Biology Laboratory provides an ideal environment for launching a successful career in academia or industry.

About Berlin
Berlin is a thriving center for science, culture, politics, and media right in the middle of Europe. Berlin is the most populous city in Germany, but through its many parks, forests, and lakes within the city limits, it provides a quality of life that is quite unique among large cities in the world. At the same time, the cost of living is very low. Berlin is home to three high-quality universities and many academic, governmental, and industrial research organizations.

Wikipedia about Berlin: "The metropolis is home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. Berlin's urban landscape and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for international film productions. The city is recognized for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts and a high quality of living. Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist."

How to Apply
International applications are encouraged to apply and will receive logistic support with visa issues. Applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis until the positions are filled. Please email your application, including cover letter, CV, and the contact information for at least two references as a single PDF file with "Computational Biology" in the subject line to robotics@robotics.tu-berlin.de. If you have questions regarding the position, please contact

Mrs. Henrietta Schiffer
Tel. +49 30 314-73 110
Fax  +49 30 314-21 116
robotics@robotics.tu-berlin.de
Computational Biology, reference number: IV-50/13

Computational Biology (student assistant)

Position: Student research assistant

Topic: Protein structure prediction

The Robotics and Biology Lab conducts innovative research in protein structure prediction and protein flexibility. We are currently looking for motivated students that support our effort in entering the 10^th community-wide experiment on the Critical Assessment on Protein Structure prediction (CASP http://predictioncenter.org).

The successful applicant will be involved in developing and implementing a novel protein structure prediction framework. We offer the opportunity to become part of a team that conducts cutting-edge research in structure prediction.

Strong programming skills in C/C++ are required. Experience with a scripting language (Python or Perl) and/or experience with programming of large dedicated compute clusters is a plus. Familiarity with one of the following research areas is helpful, but not required: robotics, AI, machine learning, protein structure prediction, protein docking, protein flexibility.

If you have questions regarding the position, please contact:

Ines Putz or Michael Schneider, Tel: 030-314 73113

Please email your application, including cover letter, CV, and other supporting material as a single PDF file to robotics@robotics.tu-berlin.de.

Robotics (student assistant)

Position: Student research assistant

Topic: Robotics

We – the Robotics and Biology Lab – are looking for enthusiastic students that help us improving the capabilities of our robot platforms. We offer a flexible, collaborative work environment and the opportunity to learn and gain valuable experience in a wide range of robot-related topics.

Possible tasks/projects:

• integration and enhancement of hardware drivers
• development of real-time controllers
• teaching support
• extension of our robot simulation framework
• conducting robotic experiments

Required skills:

• excellent C++ coding abilities
• comfortable operating under Linux

Nice to have skills:

• knowledge of the fundamentals of robotics (e.g. kinematics, dynamics, planning, probabilistic methods, etc.)
• experience using real-life sensor data and dealing with error / uncertainty
• experience controlling robot arms
• experience using vision
• experience using machine learning algorithms
• experience with the following software packages: ROS, OpenCV, PhysX, OSG 

Please email your application, including cover letter, CV and other supporting material as a single PDF file to robotics@robotics.tu-berlin.de.

For further information about what we are doing take a look at: robotics.tu-berlin.de