The Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) was established in 2010 by ETH Zurich - The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Singapore's National Research Foundation (NRF) as part of the NRF's CREATE campus. As ETH Zurich's only research centre outside of Switzerland, the SEC enhances the research capacity of ETH Zurich to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges in Switzerland, Singapore, and the surrounding regions.
Located in a rapidly urbanising region, the SEC aims to provide practical solutions to pressing issues related to urban sustainability, resilience, and health through its programmes: Future Cities Lab Global (FCL Global) and Future Health Technologies (FHT).
The centre serves as an intellectual hub for research, uniting principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. Our team actively collaborates with universities, research institutes, industry, and government agencies to translate knowledge into practical solutions for real-world problems.
The Soft Robotics Lab within the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at ETH Zurich, through the Singapore-ETH Centre, is inviting applications for a full-time researcher position based in Singapore. We are seeking an exceptional, hands-on engineer to design, build, and test soft robotic manipulation systems for automated baggage handling inside aircraft cargo holds.
Our lab's goal is to develop innovative methods for building, modeling, and controlling robots, enabling them to be more flexible, dexterous, and capable of adapting to their surroundings. Our research has led to practical applications, including a robotic fish for underwater locomotion, soft robotic hands for pick-and-place tasks, and multi-segment arms for dynamic object manipulation.
This position is part of Project Nyala, the Automated Loose Baggage Handling System for Narrow-Body Aircraft, funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) under the Aviation Transformation Programme (ATP-Airport). A consortium led by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), along with SEC, NTU, and SIT as partner institutions, is developing a compact robotic system that automates the loading and unloading of loose baggage in narrow-body aircraft cargo holds, such as the A320 and B737.
The project will evolve from concept through digital modeling and simulation to physical prototypes validated in a representative cargo hold mock-up. The project runs for 30 months, from June 2026 to November 2028.
The SEC leads the manipulation research within the consortium, focusing on dexterous manipulation concepts for irregular baggage, soft and hybrid end-effector architectures, adaptive grasping strategies, concept validation, design trade studies, and system-level interface integration. This role is fundamentally about building: you will engage in mechanical design, soft and compliant actuation, fabrication, electronics, and control to create complete manipulation subsystems, iterating through hands-on experimentation until they perform effectively in real-world settings.
A key aspect of this role is direct collaboration with aviation industry partners and stakeholders, including Airbus, SATS, Changi Airport Group, and Singapore Airlines. You'll play a critical role in translating cutting-edge soft robotics technology into a system with immediate operational relevance.
You will develop soft robotic end-effectors and manipulation subsystems for baggage handling, advancing them from concept to working prototype. Your tasks will include:
As baggage presents unique challenges—being deformable, irregular, and heavy—your work will include engineering soft and hybrid end-effectors, gripper and suction mechanisms, and adaptive grasping strategies to handle this diversity reliably. You will also engage in design trade studies to meet performance, safety, and reliability targets.
Your responsibilities will cover mechanical design, fabrication, experimental testing, modeling, actuation, and control, delivering complete manipulation subsystems across all work packages. Close collaboration with the SUTD-led consortium will be crucial, as you integrate SEC's end-effector and grasping technology with the perception, planning, and platform efforts of partner institutions.
This is an applied engineering role focused on implementation and impact. Success in this role will be assessed based on the quality and performance of the physical systems you build.
The ideal candidate is extremely curious, highly motivated, and independent, with a passion for making a real difference through their research. You thrive in collaborative environments and have demonstrated your skills through:
The Singapore-ETH Centre is an equal opportunity and family-friendly employer. All candidates will be evaluated on their merits and qualifications, irrespective of gender, race, age, or religion.
In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity, and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to learn how we maintain a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us; we consistently strive toward a climate-neutral future.
We look forward to receiving your application. Please apply online using the form below. Note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Location : Zürich
Country : Switzerland