EPSRC DLA PhD: Decision-Theoretic Shared-Autonomy for Remote Robotics at Lancaster University

Opportunity	EPSRC DLA PhD: Decision-Theoretic Shared-Autonomy for Remote Robotics at Lancaster University
Host	Lancaster University
Location	Lancaster, United Kingdom
Study Level	PhD
Funding	Fully Funded, stipend provided, tuition covered
Stipend	£22,780 per year stipend plus UK home fees and £1,000 RTSG.
Application Deadline	Open - Rolling until filled
Apply	Official application page ↗

About the Position

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship in the School of Engineering, Lancaster University, hosted by the Data Science and AI Institute (DSAIL) and funded by an EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award. The project will develop a decision-theoretic shared-autonomy framework for safety-critical remote robotics, enabling robotic systems to adapt the allocation of authority between human operators and autonomous agents under uncertain communication conditions.

Project Details

Remote robotic systems are increasingly used in safety-critical environments such as nuclear decommissioning, infrastructure inspection, offshore energy and hazardous industrial operations. Real deployments often involve degraded communication, including latency, packet loss and bandwidth fluctuation, as well as changing operator states. This PhD will develop a new framework for communication-aware shared-autonomy allocation. The project will combine AI, probabilistic modelling, robotic control and human-robot interaction, with validation through simulation, digital twins and embodied robotic experiments.

Supervisory Team

• Dr Ziwei Wang (Engineering / DSAIL, Lancaster University)
• Professor Qiang Ni (School of Computing and Communications / DSAIL, Lancaster University)

Funding

• 3.5-year full-time studentship covers UK Home tuition fees, a tax-free stipend at the UKRI minimum rate for 2026/27 (£22,780 p.a.), and a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £1,000 per year.
• The studentship is primarily available to home applicants. Exceptional international applicants may be considered subject to eligibility, institutional approval, and confirmation of how any fee difference would be covered.

Eligibility and Requirements

• Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, at least an upper-second-class honours degree, and ideally a Master's, in Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Control, Communications, Data Science or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Strong programming skills in Python, MATLAB, C++ or similar are expected.
• Experience or strong interest in robotics, machine learning, probabilistic modelling, human-robot interaction, control systems, communication networks, ROS/ROS2, robotic simulation or safety-critical systems would be advantageous.

Application Process

Apply through the official Lancaster University application process. Include:

• An academic CV with names and contact details of two referees.
• A two-page personal statement/cover letter.
• Academic transcripts.
• Evidence of technical work (code portfolio, GitHub repository, project, dissertation, or publication).
• For the LU application, you may upload a copy of this advertisement in place of a Research Proposal.

Dates

• Application deadline: TBC.
• Studentship start date: 1 October 2026.

Contact

Dr Ziwei Wang (z.wang82@lancaster.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.

Official Link

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/scc/study/phd/phd-opportunities/

Important Notes

• Application deadline: Open - Rolling until filled - late or incomplete applications are normally not considered.
• Listing details were recorded from the official source at the time of publication; always confirm the latest requirements on the official page before applying.
• Prepare the documents listed in the eligibility and application sections before starting the online form - transcripts, CV and references take the longest to collect.

About Lancaster University

Lancaster University is a public research university in northwest England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes across science, technology, business, humanities and social sciences. Its research includes computing, communications, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, while its collegiate community supports interdisciplinary work and partnerships with industry, public organisations and international institutions.

Official website: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/

How to Apply

Submit your application through the official portal before the deadline: Open - Rolling until filled. Read the eligibility requirements carefully and prepare all requested documents — early applications are strongly recommended for competitive awards.

Open the official application page ↗

Application guides

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