Robotics and Autonomous Systems

On our Robotics and Autonomous Systems PhD programme at University of Surrey you’ll study, design and build novel solutions and behaviours for robots and, in general, autonomous systems.

Robots must interact with people and objects, as well as challenging real-world environments. They must simulate human perception mechanisms, shared control and natural multi-modal interfaces.

Career opportunities

Designing and managing robotics and autonomous systems requires diverse skills from various engineering disciplines such as electronics, mechatronics, control and signal processing, together with state-of-the-art micro and nano-sensors, embedded multi-core computing and artificial intelligence. This Robotics and Autonomous Systems Robotics and Autonomous Systems PhD programme embraces all these disciplines and aims to train the next generation of innovators in the growing field of robotics and autonomous systems. University of Surrey University of Surrey offers the PhD in Robotics and Autonomous Systems that will give you the knowledge, skills and expertise needed for a career in engineering, research or academia. You’ll be intellectually challenged, develop research and management skills, and become an expert in your chosen field of study. It normally takes around three years to complete a full-time PhD. You will be assigned a minimum of two supervisors, who will guide you through your studies. You will learn how to conduct literature reviews, develop your ideas, and verify them with experiments, and collaborate and perform interdisciplinary research. You will develop your skills over time to become an independent researcher. Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Research themes include:

• Aerial robotics

• Bioinspired robots

• Field robotics

• Human-robot interaction

• Robots for condition monitoring and prognostics

• Robots for space applications

• Robot-soil interaction

• Robotic sensing and perception

• Soft robotics.