PhD Position Control and Generative AI for Human Digital Twin

PhD Position Control and Generative AI for Human Digital Twin

Job description

The Delft Center for Systems and Control (DCSC) is looking for a PhD candidate to work on a 4-year project “Control and Generative AI for Human Digital Twin”. Controlling a digital twin of the human body with hundreds of muscles and joints to generate realistic human motion, e.g., walking, running, or jumping, is a challenging control problem. This is essential for conducting human-involved experiments in silico, significantly reducing the experimental cost in various applications, e.g., understanding human motor skills, designing rehabilitation programs, and designing assistive devices such as exoskeletons and prostheses.

Due to the complexity of human digital twin, this project will focus on developing novel control methods by exploiting reinforcement learning (RL) and generative AI. The developed approaches will be used for generating complex human motion across different populations, e.g., healthy individuals, individuals with mobility impairments, and individuals wearing assistive devices. While the primary focus of this project is on healthcare, the results will also have a profound impact on gaming, virtual reality, animation, and humanoid robotics. Experiments for collecting human motion data will be performed using a motion capture system in our Lab.

This research project allows you to gradually build your own research profile according to your interests, while remaining within the project’s goals. You will be responsible for the typical scientific research workflow: motivating the problem, identifying the main methodological shortcomings in literature, developing novel methods in RL and generative AI and novel models for human body, planning and executing experiments, and reporting findings in articles to be published at top venues. Periodic meetings, feedback, and international/national collaborations will ensure the success of your degree and the project overall.

Job requirements

• We are looking for a candidate with a master's degree in engineering, robotics, computer science, mathematics, or other related fields (must have been awarded by a mutually agreed starting date of the PhD).
• The candidate should have a strong transcript of records.
• Programming skills, e.g., Python or others, is a plus.
• A good command of the English language is also required.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 😊

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5-year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Shengling Shi, slshi@mit.edu.