Research Associate in Computer Vision (Post-doc, f/m) - Ref: 25-17

The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

is recruiting a

Research Associate in Computer Vision (Post-doc, f/m)

• Ref: 25-17
• 8 months fixed-term working contract at LISER
• Full-time, 40 hours/week
• Department: Urban Development and Mobility (UDM)
• Work location: Belval (Luxembourg)
• Foreseen start date : January/February 2026
• Deadline: June 30th, 2025 at midnight CET

Project description

The proposed research subject consists of developing a system to test a mobile robot capable of assisting visually impaired individuals (VIIs) by guiding them through a complex and unfamiliar environment. The robot will be designed to navigate autonomously, with the individual following the robot, enabling safe and efficient movement in indoor environment. The system will incorporate bi-directional voice interaction, allowing for real-time communication between the robot and the user. The robot will use a combination of depth sensors (Kinect) and LIDARs for environment mapping and obstacle detection. YOLOv3, a cutting-edge object detection algorithm, will be used for real-time image recognition and to avoid obstacles, ensuring smooth navigation for the user.

The key innovation of this research proposal stands in an autonomous navigation through conversation using a graph representation encompassing the concept of drivability as well as guidance through description of the word. The post-doc researcher will focus on this aspect to create a functional proof of concept for a robot-assisted navigation system to help VIIs explore public spaces. This research will also pave the way for future work on enhancing human-robot interaction and developing more sophisticated navigation tools to be applied in a wide range of applications and use cases.

Your role

In this context, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Design, test and validate a guide robot dog to assist visually impaired individuals (VIIs) in navigating and interacting within real-world environments ;
• Investigate the system performance with a key evaluation metrics ;
• Assess the system with a group of VIIs (for instance within a living lab) ;
• Disseminate research findings and actively contributing to departmental research activities ;
• Seek external funding (such as CORE grant proposal).

Your profile

• PhD (or be close to completion thereof) in Computer Vision or Computer Science (or a proof of thesis submission is also acceptable for a defense scheduled around early 2026) ;
• Strong proficiency in Python. Ideal candidates will have experience with spatial data processing, although this is not mandatory. The ability to work with large datasets and computer vision and familiarity with geospatial libraries (such as GDAL, Rasterio, or similar) will be an advantage ;
• Knowledge of robotics and ROS (Robot Operating System) is a plus ;
• Excellent verbal communication and academic writing skills in English ;

LISER particularly encourage female researchers to apply

What we offer

• A dynamic and international research environment with attractive working conditions and a stimulating work environment ;
• Flexibility in the organisation of the working hours and the possibility of teleworking ;
• Competitive remuneration according to the Collective Labour Agreement in force (half of a 13th month salary, meal vouchers, etc.) ;
• Investment in career support and development (trainings, seminars, participation to international meetings and conferences) ;
• 32.5 days of annual leave for a full-time contract.

How to apply

Please submit your complete application in English via https://jobs.liser.lu/jobs by including the following documents :

• Curriculum vitae ;
• Motivation letter ;
• Recent piece of research ;
• Copy of your PhD diploma ;
• Two reference letters (uploaded with the application or sent separately to recruitment@liser.lu).

Deadline to submit applications: June 30th, 2025 at midnight CET

For any work-related question, please contact Dr. Hichem Omrani at hichem.omrani@liser.Lu  

For administrative matters, please contact Mrs. Vanya KIROVA at recruitment@liser.lu

Why LISER?

LISER is a publicly funded research institute located in Luxembourg and dedicated to applied empirical research in economic, social and spatial sciences. The Institute attracts top researchers from all over the world and high-level student training is a vibrant part of the Institute’s activities. LISER staff consists of approx. 200 employees, about 60% of the staff being researchers; mainly from the fields of economics, geography and sociology. The vision of the institute is to be a socio-economic research institute internationally recognised, focused on scientific excellence and societal impact, able to contribute through multi-disciplinary and intersectoral research, in an active and inclusive way to a sustainable and inclusive society at national and international level.

The institute is located on the new Belval campus in the south of Luxembourg (Cité des Sciences, Luxembourg), which hosts the University of Luxembourg and a substantial part of the country’s publicly funded research facilities, i.e. LISER, the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) cross-national data centre, the Luxembourg institutes of Health (LIH) and of Science and Technology (LIST). Information on research in Luxembourg is accessible via the national EURAXESS platform.

LISER is an Equal Opportunity Employer