Drone Mechatronic Student Assistant , Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

The Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IME) part of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denmark offers a part-time position 10 hours/week (15.06.2026 31.12.2026) as a Student Assistant within the Drone Mechatronics group. The position is closely connected to ongoing research development and testing of UAVs and related mechatronic systems.

The Drone Mechatronics group is a cross-disciplinary research unit within IME focusing on the design engineering and deployment of advanced robotic platforms including aerial drones autonomous surface vessels and underwater systems. The research integrates mechanical design embedded systems computer vision and guidance navigation and control (GNC) to develop intelligent and robust systems for real-world applications.

The Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering is located in the inspiring Alsion building in Sønderborg which hosts both academic and industrial actors fostering strong collaboration between research and industry. The Drone Lab plays a central role in enabling experimental validation prototyping and system integration within ongoing research and development projects.

Assignments of the Student Helper at IME include:

• Support development of UAV systems and related subsystems. (e.g. docking stations tethered systems and sensor integration)
• Assist in experimental design setup data acquisition documentation and validation of mechatronic systems in both indoor and outdoor environments
• Design modify and improve UAV designs and sensor integration

The following qualifications and skills are strong assets

• Familiarity with drone software ecosystems such as PX4 and ArduPilot including general UAV setup configuration and interfacing
• Experience with external stakeholders and commercial projects
• Basic experience with microcontrollers and embedded systems programming including communication between onboard systems
• Strong capability in rapid prototyping including CAD modeling additive manufacturing and awareness of design-for-manufacturing principles and external fabrication processes
• Practical lab/research experience including setup testing and iterative development of experimental systems
• Solid foundation in mechatronics engineering including control systems and general understanding of electrical mechanical and software domains
• Ability to work across disciplines and integrate components into functional system

For further information about the position and the application procedure please contact:

Andrei-Alexandru Popa

Associate Professor Mechatronics Head of Program

tel.

e-mail:

Application must include cover letter CV and transcript of grades. All documents in connection with the application should not contain CPR number (civil registration number) in that case the CPR number must be crossed out.