Research Assistant/Associate (Postdoc) (f/m/d) in the Field of (Co-)Design for Human-Robot Interaction

Weitere Informationen

The successful candidate will be employed under a regular employment contract.
The position is to be filled at the earliest possible date and offered for a fixed term of 4 years.
The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts).
This is a full-time position with the possibility of a part-time contract upon request.
The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L).
The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L.

Unser Profil

The Chair Individual and Technology (iTec) at RWTH Aachen University, headed by Professor Astrid Rosenthal-von der Pütten, is part of the Department of Society, Technology, and Human Factors. Research and teaching focuses on media psychology, human-technology interaction, social robotics and artificially intelligent systems.

We are offering a position within the project "Designing Meaningful Robots for Long-term Human-Robot Interactions in the Field", funded by the VolkswagenStiftung. As currently available robots are either impractical prototypes or commercial systems not tailored to specific needs, our project aims to co-design social robots with future users that meet the following criteria: a) Primarily address specific psychological user needs; b) Follow the principle of form following function and user requirements; c) Are deployed in real-world settings early on and iteratively refined during use; d) Are small, cost-effective, and reproducible by other research teams. These design choices aim to create robots that better integrate into users’ environments and offer tailored functionality, thus supporting more meaningful interactions and enabling long-term field research. The project also explores the potential of citizen science in long-term human-robot interaction (HRI) studies.

We are looking for a talented and motivated researcher to join our interdisciplinary team and contribute a strong design perspective. The position is available as soon as possible.

Ihr Profil

• You have successfully completed your university degree (master's degree or equivalent) and your PhD
• You have a strong interest in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of psychology, computer science, and design
• You have solid experience in design (e.g., participatory design, hardware/interaction prototyping, co-design, product design)
• You possess knowledge in psychology and empirical methods (e.g., interaction studies, surveys, interview studies, and their qualitative and/or quantitative analysis)
• You possess knowledge in computer science; experience with robot platforms such as Nao or Pepper is advantageous
• You are familiar with or interested in citizen science
• Experience in research-based teaching is a plus
• Excellent written and spoken German and English; if you do not speak German yet, you are willing to learn it
• You are responsible, motivated, a team player, well-organized, and a strong communicator

The position is limited to 4 years and should ideally start by September 1,2025.

Please send your complete application (cover letter, CV incl. publication list, certificates, and possibly letters of recommendation) by May 31, 2025 via email to: application@itec.rwth-aachen.de

Later applications may be considered but are not guaranteed to be reviewed.

Please note: communicating via unencrypted email may pose risks regarding confidentiality and unauthorized third-party access.

Ihre Aufgaben

• Contribute to the strategic development of the Chair in the following areas:
  • Teaching – by integrating design-related content into existing formats
  • Research – by implementing co-design projects
  • Research – by developing a citizen science framework for HRI
• Plan, organize, and conduct co-design projects/studies with relevant user groups
• Prepare results for publication in scientific journals and presentation at international conferences
• Help build a local citizen science network and organize workshops with interested citizens
• Supervise student theses in the thematic scope of the research project

Über uns

RWTH is a certified family-friendly University. We support our employees in maintaining a good work-life balance with a wide range of health, advising, and prevention services, for example university sports. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements and civil servants have access to an extensive range of further training courses and the opportunity to purchase a job ticket.
RWTH is an equal opportunities employer. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates, particularly from groups that are underrepresented at the University. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or age. RWTH is strongly committed to encouraging women in their careers. Female applicants are given preference if they are equally suitable, competent, and professionally qualified, unless a fellow candidate is favored for a specific reason.
As RWTH is committed to equality of opportunity, we ask you not to include a photo in your application.
You can find information on the personal data we collect from applicants in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbung.

Besoldung / Entgelt

EG 13 TV-L