PhD position in Human–Robot Interaction in healthcare Designing sustainable collaboration in healthcare practice

Join Aalborg University in exploring the future of human-robot interaction and collaboration in healthcare. At the Faculty of IT and Design Department of Sustainability and Planning we invite applications for a PhD position in Human-Robot Interaction in Healthcare.

The position offers a unique opportunity to study how healthcare professionals and robotic technologies interact and collaborate in everyday work practice through interdisciplinary research in real-world healthcare settings. The project addresses a central challenge in human-robot interaction research: understanding how human-robot collaboration can move from experimental interaction scenarios to sustainable integration within hospital workflows healthcare infrastructures and professional work practices.

The project is conducted in close collaboration with the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University combining socio-technical research on human-robot collaboration with technical research on interaction technologies and robotic systems.
The stipend is open for appointment from 1 September 2026 or soon hereafter. The duration of the position is three years.

Your work tasks
The PhD project focuses on human-robot interaction and collaboration in healthcare with particular attention to how robotic technologies move from experimental interaction scenarios to becoming sustainable parts of everyday work practice in healthcare. While robotic systems often perform well in controlled laboratory environments translating these systems into meaningful collaboration in real-world healthcare practice remains a significant challenge. The project will therefore investigate how healthcare professionals and robotic systems interact in everyday clinical practice and how these interactions shape the ways robots are used adapted and integrated in healthcare work. Building on insights from real-world studies of human-robot interaction the project will explore the conditions under which human-robot collaboration can become sustainable in practice generating knowledge that can support the development and implementation of robots that meaningfully support everyday work in healthcare.

The successful candidate will conduct empirical research and collect data through ethnographically inspired fieldwork in healthcare environments including methods such as interviews observations and participatory workshops in collaboration with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. The project will generate new knowledge about how human-robot collaboration evolves in complex healthcare environments and about the organisational infrastructural and professional conditions that enable such collaboration to become sustainable in real-world practice.

The PhD project is part of a broader interdisciplinary research initiative on human-robot collaboration in healthcare conducted jointly by the Department of Sustainability and Planning and the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University. While this PhD project focuses on the socio-technical and organisational aspects of human-robot collaboration the broader initiative also includes technical research on interaction technologies and robotic systems. The candidate will therefore collaborate with researchers across departments and contribute to shared case studies and interdisciplinary research activities.

In addition to research activities the PhD fellow will contribute to teaching and supervision within the Techno-Anthropology programme at Aalborg University. Teaching activities may include supervision of student projects and lectures in courses related to human-technology interaction digital health and socio-technical systems.

Your competencies
Applicants should have a strong interest in the interactions between humans and robots and in the role of emerging technologies in healthcare. The successful candidate is expected to have a background that enables them to investigate the interactions between healthcare professionals robotic technologies and the organisational and healthcare settings in which they are embedded.

We expect applicants to hold a Masters degree in a relevant field such as techno-anthropology science and technology studies human-computer interaction digital health design anthropology sociology or related discipline. Experience with qualitative or participatory research methods and an interest in empirical research in organisational or healthcare settings will be considered an advantage.

The ideal candidate is motivated to work in interdisciplinary research environments and is interested in collaborating with researchers from different fields as well as with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. We expect the candidate to demonstrate curiosity independence initiative and the motivation to develop and carry out a research project in collaboration with supervisors and research partners.

Strong communication skills in English both written and spoken are required as the PhD project will be conducted in an international research environment. Danish language skills are considered an advantage but they are not a requirement.
Qualification requirements. Read more here:

Qualification requirements
PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Masters 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
The PhD fellow will join the Techno-Anthropology and Participation (TAPAR) research group at the Department of Sustainability and Planning at Aalborg University. TAPAR is an interdisciplinary research environment working at the intersection of healthcare technology and society with a particular focus on digital health.

Researchers in the group study how digital technologies are developed implemented and used in healthcare practice. Through socio-technical and participatory approaches the group investigates how technologies work in context and how they shape and are shaped by human practices organisational processes and infrastructures. The group also engages with philosophy of technology and technology assessment addressing broader questions about human-technology relations and the societal implications of emerging technologies.

The PhD fellow will become part of a collaborative research environment that combines empirical studies of technologies in practice with conceptual and critical perspectives on technology. TAPAR works closely with healthcare organisations and other stakeholders and researchers in the group collaborate across disciplines and faculties at Aalborg University.

In addition the PhD fellow will be part of the HumanRobot Interaction Lab at Aalborg University an interdisciplinary research lab spanning various faculties and dedicated to studying humanrobot interaction and collaboration in real-world settings.

As the position is also part of a broader interdisciplinary research initiative conducted jointly with the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University the PhD fellow will work in close collaboration with a PhD student at Computer Science who will focus on the technical aspects of humanrobot interaction within the same overall research framework.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• A cover letter of max. 1 page including motivation for applying and a brief explanation of the applicants background and suitability for the project.
• A research statement (project description) broadly within the framework of humanrobot interaction in healthcare particularly focusing on real-world collaboration between healthcare professionals and robotic technologies of max. 2 pages (excl. references). This statement should outline the applicants thoughts and ideas on possible research directions within the context of the topic outlined above.
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts of records
• Other relevant documents

The application must be submitted via Aalborg Universitys recruitment system which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg Universitys 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 Kristina Tornbjerg Eriksen Tel.

Further information
Read more about our recruitment processhere.

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 aboutThe Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with theMinisterial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order)and theMinisterial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance withthe 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 3700 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.