Research Associate in Human-Robot Interaction - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

Research Associate in Human-Robot Interaction - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

About us

We are recruiting a motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join CO-STAR (CO-designing Socially inTelligent Assistive Robots for Future Healthcare), a research programme bringing together Kings College London, Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, and the Royal Academy of Engineering. CO-STAR aims to advance socially intelligent assistive robots for future healthcare, combining cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence and robotics with human-centred co-design and real-world clinical deployment. We are looking for a candidate who can join the project in January 2027 or soon thereafter.

The successful candidate will join the Department of Engineering at Kings College London and become a member of the Social AI & Robotics Lab (SAIR), led by Dr Oya Celiktutan. They will work closely with researchers, engineers, healthcare professionals, patients and other stakeholders at Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), providing a unique opportunity to conduct cutting-edge robotics research in close partnership with a major NHS organisation.

SAIR conducts research in multimodal machine learning and human-centred embodied AI, with a particular focus on developing autonomous agents that can perceive, understand and interact effectively with humans. The labs research addresses challenges in multimodal perception, human behaviour understanding and forecasting, robot learning, navigation and manipulation, and socially aware humanrobot interaction.

SAIRs research has been supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, EPSRC, the Royal Society, and EU Horizon programmes, as well as through industrial collaborations. The labs research has received several distinctions, including the Best Paper Award at IEEE RO-MAN 2022, the NVIDIA CCS Best Student Paper Award Runner-Up at IEEE FG 2021, and First Place and Honourable Mention Awards at the ICCV UDIVA Challenge 2021.

About the role

Imagine a future where robots meaningfully assist people with limited mobility and support patients and clinicians across healthcare environments. Assistive robotics has the potential to transform independence, wellbeing, and the delivery of care. Advances in AI are rapidly expanding what robots can perceive, understand, and do, bringing this future closer than ever. Yet a critical gap remains between technical capability and real-world deployment: robots still struggle to understand human behaviour, adapt to complex social situations, and operate safely and appropriately alongside people. Using the hospital as a living lab to advance humanrobot interaction and integration with clinical workflows, the CO-STAR project aims to bridge this gap.

CO-STAR willengineer the next generation of socially intelligent assistive robots that can interact naturally with people while meeting the demands of real-world healthcare environments.

The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping and delivering the research programme, working across humanrobot interaction, machine learning, socially intelligent AI, and healthcare robotics . They will contribute to the design, development, and evaluation of robotic and AI systems and work closely with the multidisciplinary CO-STAR team and Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust to translate research advances into real-world healthcare settings. Please refer to the Job Description for further details about the role and the required application documents.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• shape and conduct high-quality multidisciplinary research in collaboration with the CO-STAR project team;
• develop novel research in humanrobot interaction, machine learning, and socially intelligent robotics;
• contribute to the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of robotic and AI systems within the scope of the project;
• disseminate research findings through high-quality publications and presentations at leading international conferences and journals;
• contribute to activities that maximise the academic, clinical, and societal impact of the research.

This is afull-time, fixed-term post for 21 months, with the potential for extension up to a total of42 months, subject to funding arrangements. The desired start date isJanuary 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Application Documents

Please read and follow the application instructions carefully. Applications that do not comply with the requirements below, including the specified page limits, will not be considered. Please submit only the requested documents, as additional or unsolicited materials may also result in rejection.

1. Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages): Provide an up-to-date academic CV detailing your qualifications, research experience, technical expertise, and relevant achievements. Include a complete list of publications at the end of your CV ( excluded from the 2-page limit ) and highlight up to three publications that best demonstrate your research contributions.

2. Supporting Statement (maximum 3 pages): In the context of the CO-STAR project, provide a structured statement demonstrating how you meet the essential and desirable criteria outlined in the Person Specification.

Address each criterion individually , using its corresponding title (e.g., Essential Criterion 1, Essential Criterion 2).

Essential Criteria: Address all six essential criteria individually, providing specific evidence and examples.

Desirable Criteria: Address all four desirable criteria individually, providing relevant evidence or explaining your motivation where applicable.

PhD Completion Status: If your PhD has not yet been awarded, clearly state your current stage of study, expected thesis submission date, anticipated viva date (if known), and expected date of completion.

Your responses should be concise, evidence-based, and relevant to the CO-STAR project . Avoid general statements without supporting examples.

3. Academic Referees: Provide the names and contact details of two academic referees, preferably including your current or most recent research supervisor. Please indicate whether they may be contacted informally before the interview.