Post doc AI-enabled distributed aerial systems

The Department of Electronic Systems at The Technical Faculty of IT and Design invites applications for a Postdoc in the field of AI-enabled distributed aerial systems September 1 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The duration of the position is two years with the possibility of extension.

Your work tasks

You will join a cross-department project on AI-enabled distributed aerial systems that aims to significantly advance the core technologies for future defense drone systems. The project addresses how large drone swarms can operate in hostile and Global Navigation Satellite System-denied environments where conventional communication links positioning support and fixed formations cannot be relied on. Within the project two Ph.D. candidates will be working: one on communication and radio-based positioning and a second companion PhD position focuses on artificial intelligence-based situational awareness.

In this postdoctoral researcher position you will work on integrating technologies from the two Ph.D. projects aiming at demonstrating proof of concept at TRL level 5 or higher in lab environments of AI-enabled distributed aerial systems:

In collaboration with a Ph.D. candidate focusing on communication you will conduct research on resilient communication for drone systems and swarms. You will study how to design analyze and evaluate mesh protocols and swarm communication schemes that can maintain coordination and sharing under interference jamming dynamic topology changes and strict constraints on cost weight and power. You will explore how to integrate mesh networking solutions with existing and emerging infrastructure-based systems such as fifth-generation mobile communication technologies to create robust hybrid communication architectures tailored to the demands of aerial swarms.

In collaboration with a Ph.D. candidate focusing on AI 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. Federated learning and other distributed learning approaches are expected to play an important role since data and computation are spread across many platforms.

Your work will combine analytical modeling simulation and emulation of larger swarms with experiments on real hardware when feasible. You will collaborate with colleagues in the Dependable Wireless Communication research group and with the Visual Analysis and Perception Lab to define joint scenarios for testing communication and perception algorithms together. You will drive to proof-of-concept demonstrations as the project progresses. Throughout the project you will interact with defense partners in Denmark and Ukraine as well as relevant industry actors interested in dual-use drone technologies.

As part of your employment you will contribute to teaching activities at the Department of Electronic Systems. This will typically include supervision of project groups and assistance in courses in topics such as wireless communication networking signal processing or related areas depending on your profile and the departments current needs. You will also take part in the activities of the Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design including PhD courses seminars and summer or winter schools.

Your competencies

You have a Masters and Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline and you are interested in research questions that combine fundamental theory with practical system design. You have a solid grounding in wireless communication principles or and AI based situational awareness. You have programming and modeling skills in environments such as Matlab or Python which are important and experience with network simulators or radio hardware provides a useful foundation for the project.

You like to reason rigorously about system performance but you are also motivated to see your ideas tested in realistic lab settings. You are comfortable working both independently and as part of a team and you enjoy collaborating with researchers from other fields. You are prepared to engage with applied partners in defence and industry and you are curious about how your research can support both defence and civilian use cases. If you bring insight from previous work with defence technologies or from a military context this can contribute to discussions about scenarios and operational requirements but it is not a formal prerequisite.

You communicate clearly in English in writing and speech and you are ready to present your work to both academic and applied audiences. You are willing to travel for project meetings summer schools and international conferences and see such activities as an integral part of your development as a researcher.

Who we are

You will be employed at the Department of Electronic Systems at Aalborg University and will be part of the Wireless Communication Networks section at Fredrik Bajers Vej 7 in Aalborg. Within this section you will be attached to the Dependable Wireless Communication research group which focuses on communication solutions for defence emergency and other critical applications using hardened and dual-use technologies. The group leads several defence research projects and works closely with the Danish Armed Forces the Ukrainian Electronic Warfare Systems Research Center and industrial partners on topics such as resilient communication network design and system evaluation.

In electronic engineering Aalborg University is known worldwide for its high academic quality and societal impact. The Department of Electronic Systems employs more than 200 people of which about 90 are PhD students and about 40 % of all employees are total it has more than 600 students in its BSc and MSc programs which are based on AAUs problem-based learning model. The department leverages its unique research infrastructure and lab facilities to conduct world-leading fundamental and applied research within communication networks control systems AI sound cyber security and robotics. The department plays an active role in transferring inventions and results into applications in close collaboration with industrial partners worldwide. You can read more about the department at .

The Wireless Communication Networks section works on methods and technologies for future wireless communication needs and has established facilities such as an Internet of Things Living Lab to support experimentation and collaboration with external stakeholders. Within this environment you will find colleagues with deep expertise in communication theory protocol design and system implementation and you will have access to relevant laboratory infrastructure and experimental platforms for your PhD work.

Aalborg University is recognised internationally for its engineering education and research profile and offers a stimulating environment for early-career researchers. The general working conditions include flexible working hours and the possibility for remote work by agreement within the framework of the departments activities.

Qualification requirements
Appointmentaspostdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application stating reasons for applying qualifications in relation to the position and intentions and visions for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (masters degree diploma and PhD diploma)
• List of publications with an indication of the attached publications that you wish to be taken into account in the assessment. Youmay attach a maximum of five publications.
• Documentation of teaching qualifications.
• Dissemination qualifications including participation on committees or boards participation in organisations etc.
• Additional qualifications in relation to the position
• References/recommendations

You can read more about the requirements for your application here.

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 us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information
Read more about our recruitment process here

The appointment process at Aalborg University involves a shortlisting process. You can read more about the shortlisting and appointment process here.

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.

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) and protocol on certain terms of employment of 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) (only in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (only in Danish).

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.