Postdoctoral Researcher in Multisensory Cognitive Architectures for Social Robots
Pubblicato il 11-10-2026 - IIT in Genova
ph3Postdoctoral Researcher in Multisensory Cognitive Architectures for Social Robots /h3 pItaly /p pCommitment contract: fixed-term contract for 18 months /p pLocation: Genoa, Italy - Center for Human Technologies ( ) /p pProject: SINTESI Azione 1.1.2 “SINTESI” Sistemi cyber-fisici INTElligenti e SIcuri per la sanità, l'industria e la società- CUP B99H - Progetti PN Ricerca, Innovazione e Competitività 2021–2027 (PN RIC 2021–2027)- Decreto Direttoriale n. 307 del - MI 962 Comunicazione adozione decreto dirigenziale n. 780 del 03/03/2026 /p pStep into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future! /p pAt IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds. /p pWe are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential. /p h3THE ROLE /h3 pYou will be working in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate, each with their expertise, to carry out a scientific activity with a shared research goal.
/p pThe position will be jointly hosted by the Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies (CONTACT) Research Unit, coordinated by Alessandra Sciutti, and the Computational Statistics and Machine Learning (CSML) Research Unit, led by Massimiliano Pontil. The research investigates the sensory, motor and cognitive foundations of human social interaction and combines them with advanced machine learning methods to develop transparent, adaptable and socially aware robotic systems. Within the SINTESI project, the teams will develop ARCOBOT, a modular, multisensory cognitive architecture for social robots that integrates visual, auditory and proprioceptive information, sensorimotor processes and multimodal memory to support effective human-robot interaction and learning from people. /p pWithin the research team, your main responsibilities will be: /p ulliDesign and develop modular components for multisensory perception, sensorimotor integration, action and multimodal memory in social robots /liliImplement and integrate bio-inspired and data-driven models within a coherent cognitive robotics architecture /liliDesign, conduct and analyse experiments in social and collaborative interaction scenarios, including teaching and learning tasks /liliContribute to system integration, demonstrator development, scientific publications,
technical reporting and technology-transfer activities toward pre-commercial validation /li /ul h3ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS /h3 ulliA PhD in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Bioengineering, Neuroscience, or a related discipline /liliDocumented research experience in cognitive robotics, human-robot interaction, multimodal perception, sensorimotor learning, or closely related areas /liliStrong programming skills in Python and/or C++, with experience developing and integrating software for robotic systems /liliStrong publication record appropriate to the candidate's career stage /liliGood command of spoken and written English /li /ul h3ADDITIONAL SKILLS /h3 ulliExperience with ROS/ROS 2 and one or more robotic platforms used in human-robot interaction /liliKnowledge of deep learning frameworks and multimodal or foundation models /liliExperience designing behavioural experiments and analysing human-robot interaction data /liliAbility to work in a challenging and international environment /liliCapacity to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment, with analytical reasoning skills and a growth mindset /li /ul h3COMPENSATION PACKAGE /h3 ulliA yearly total employer cost ranging from EUR 36,500 to EUR 58,000 /liliPrivate health care coverage depending on your role and contract /liliCandidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years. /li /ul pApplication's deadline: October 15th, 2026 /p pTo discover more about life at IIT, visit the dedicated section here: /p /p #J-18808-Ljbffr