PhD position in Soft Robotics Systems

Today’s robots are mostly rigid, fragile, and a world apart from the agility and resilience of biological bodies. We believe the path to capable, safe, and lifelike machines runs through musculoskeletal soft robots: systems built from compliant structures, bones, joints, and tendon‑like actuation, much like the bodies of animals and humans. As a PhD researcher in our group, you will lead the design, fabrication, and real‑world testing of these robots end to end, turning ideas into working hardware that moves, grasps, and interacts with the physical world.

This is a builder’s role at its core. You will work across mechanical design, soft and compliant actuation, fabrication, electronics, and control to create complete robotic systems, then iterate relentlessly through hands‑on experimentation until they perform in the real world. Our recent work, from a biohybrid bone‑muscle interface that gives robots real muscles and tendons to a robotic fish, dexterous soft hands, and d...