The Technical Faculty of It and Design, Department of Architecture, Design, and Media Technology invites applications for a PhD position in computer vision and AI research, with a focus on how drones can work together to enhance situational awareness. The position is on the PhD program Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
This PhD position is part of a cross-departmental research project with a post-doc and a PhD at Department of Electronic Systems. The position is available from September 1st, 2026. The duration of the position is three years and is a full-time position (37 hours per week).
Your work tasks
You will be part of a new cross-department project on AI-enabled distributed aerial systems that aims to push the next generation of autonomous drone swarms for defence and dual-use applications. The project focuses on making multi-drone systems operational in hostile and Global Navigation Satellite System denied environments, where usual assumptions about positioning, communication and visibility break down. Together with another PhD fellow and a postdoctoral researcher, both at the Department of Electronic Systems, you will contribute to core technologies for drone mesh networks and collective situational awareness.
In this PhD position you will work on artificial intelligence based situational awareness for drone swarms. You will investigate how individual drones can perceive and understand their surroundings using computer vision and sensor data, and how incomplete and unevenly distributed information can be shared across the swarm to build a more complete collective understanding of the environment. You will develop and evaluate methods for camera based perception, sensor fusion and learning based models that can handle uncertain, degraded and adversarial conditions. Distributed computing approaches are expected to play an important role, since data and computation are spread across many platforms.
Your work will alternate between theoretical and algorithmic development, simulation studies for larger swarms and practical experiments with real drones whenever feasible. In collaboration with the Electronic Systems team you will participate in designing proof of concept scenarios where communication and perception technologies are integrated and assessed together. You will disseminate your results through scientific publications and presentations at international conferences, and you will contribute to project deliverables that are relevant for Danish, Ukrainian and allied defence partners.
As part of your employment, you will contribute to the university’s teaching activities. This will typically involve supervision of student projects and assistance in courses in areas such as computer vision, artificial intelligence, machine learning, programming or related topics, depending on your profile and the department’s needs. You will also take part in the activities of the PhD school, including relevant courses, seminars and summer or winter schools in Denmark or abroad.
Your competencies
You have a Master’s degree in computer science, vision, machine learning, robotics or a closely related field, and you are motivated to work on research problems that combine advanced artificial intelligence with concrete, safety critical applications. You bring strong analytical skills and a solid understanding of methods in machine learning and computer vision, and you are comfortable programming in languages such as Python or C++ for both experimentation and prototyping. Experience with sensor fusion, distributed or federated learning, or autonomous systems is highly relevant, but the exact emphasis can be adapted to your background.
You enjoy working in a collaborative environment where results are created together with colleagues from other disciplines and departments. At the same time, you are able to structure your own work and move tasks forward independently, from early idea to publication or prototype. You are comfortable working with a mixture of simulations and real-world experiments, including the practical aspects of making algorithms run on real hardware when that is needed for proof of concept. You are curious about defence related and dual-use technologies and are willing to engage with partners who work in this domain. If you have prior experience from the military, you will be able to draw on that insight when discussing scenarios and operational constraints, but it is not a formal requirement.
You communicate clearly in English, both in writing and orally, and you are willing to present your work to different audiences, from academic peers to applied partners. You are prepared to travel occasionally for project meetings, summer schools and international conferences as part of your PhD training and dissemination.
Qualification requirements
PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time. As part of the PhD study, you are among other things required to complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS, gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination and complete an external research stay outside of Aalborg University, preferably 3-6 months at a foreign research institution.
Who we are
You will be employed at the Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology at Aalborg University and anchored in the Visual Analysis and Perception Lab at Rendsburggade 14 in Aalborg. The Visual Analysis and Perception Lab is a well-established artificial intelligence and computer vision research environment with around ten to fifteen PhD students working on a wide range of topics, from fundamental vision algorithms to applied projects with industrial and defence partners. The lab has a long track record in camera based sensing technologies and dual-use solutions, and several colleagues are already engaged in defence related research projects.
The working atmosphere in the lab is informal and supportive. You will be part of a team that values open discussion, knowledge sharing and joint problem solving, and where it matters that it is enjoyable to come to work. You will have regular access to supervision and sparring from senior researchers, and you will collaborate closely with the partner group at the Department of Electronic Systems in the Dependable Wireless Communication area. Together, the two departments provide access to relevant lab facilities, drone platforms and the necessary computing infrastructure for data intensive artificial intelligence research.
Aalborg University offers a modern and flexible work environment with a strong PhD school, a broad portfolio of PhD courses and good opportunities for competence development and career planning. Work is typically organised with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility, and there is room for balancing focused research periods with teaching, collaboration activities and participation in the wider academic community.
You can read more about the department here: https://www.en.create.aau.dk/about-create.
How to apply
Your application must include the following:
- Application, stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the position
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Diplomas (bachelor's and master's degree diploma, including grades)
- Project description containing the research project title, an outline of a research plan and directions and a description of the problem areas (maximum one page).
- Other relevant documents
The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website.
Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.
Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.
The interviews are held on the 3rd till 17th of August 2026.
Further information
Read more about our recruitment process here.
The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.
The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.
Read more about The Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design
Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish).
Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish)
There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.
Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.
INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:
- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:
Aalborg Kommune
-Virksomheden tilbyder:
-Arbejdsgiver:
Aalborg Universitet, Rendsburggade, 9000 Aalborg
-Ansøgning:
Ansøgningsfrist: 08-06-2026;
Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/find-job/3fa081a9-6898-4194-9a1c-ee610d63e571
