PhD position in Biohybrid Robotics

Build the next generation of muscle-actuated robots in a lab whose recent biohybrid work has been published in Science Advances and Advanced Intelligent Systems. The Soft Robotics Lab within the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at ETH Zurich is inviting applications for an open doctoral position. We are looking for an excellent researcher to join and advance our research efforts in the fabrication and control of biohybrid robots.

Our lab's goal is to build, model, and control robots in a fundamentally different way, so that they become more flexible, dexterous, capable, and adapt better to their environment. On the biohybrid side, the lab has recently demonstrated 3D-bioprinted muscle-tendon interfaces with enhanced force transmission and sensor-embedded muscle enabling closed-loop proprioceptive control, work that has been featured in ETH press and international robotics media.

The frontier of research in soft robotics aims at replacing classic soft materials used for actuators with biological ones (muscle) to take advantage of the innate adaptability, energy efficiency, and softness of biological systems. While a few years ago these biohybrid robots (bio-bots) could be considered a matter for science fiction, recent work has demonstrated fish-like swimming bio-bots, caterpillar-like walking bio-bots, and even pick-and-place biological machines powered by engineered muscle tissue.

The SRL designs, fabricates, and characterizes muscle-driven biohybrid robots. Muscle constructs are produced using hydrogel casting, micro-molding, and light-and extrusion-based bioprinting, then actuated through electrical stimulation and analyzed via motion tracking. Current research challenges include scaling up engineered muscle tissues, controlling myofiber formation during biofabrication and maturation, exploring tissue architectures from biomimetic to biosynthetic forms, integrating proprioception into muscle-based actuators, and discovering sustainable materials for biohybrid systems (including non-mammalian sources).

Recent results from the lab include muscle-tendon bioprinting of mechanically optimized musculoskeletal bio actuators with enhanced force transmission; sensor-embedded muscle for closed-loop proprioceptive control; perfusable bioprinted skeletal muscle tissue at the centimeter scale; a perspective on microfluidics for functionally integrated biohybrid robots; and bilayered biofabrication unlocking skeletal muscle for biohybrid soft robots.

The doctoral candidate will join an interdisciplinary team working at the intersection of tissue engineering, biofabrication, robotics, and control. Day-to-day mentorship will come from senior biohybrid researchers in the lab, including Miriam Filippi and Aiste Balciunaite. Cross-group collaborations within ETH Zurich and active international collaborations with IBEC Barcelona, the University of Tokyo, and Empa are part of the research environment.

Doctoral candidates will be employed according to the regulations of ETH Zurich, and upon completing the doctorate, will be awarded the title “Doctor of Sciences (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich)”.

The thesis work will focus on:

• Designing and engineering bioreactors for the mechanical tensioning, electrical stimulation, and long‑term maturation of engineered muscle constructs
• Bioprinting of complex muscle architectures using extrusion- and light-based approaches
• Fabrication, characterization, and motion modelling of muscle-actuated biohybrid robots, potentially leveraging machine-learning approaches for control and motion prediction
• Integration of engineered neural networks with muscle constructs, development of proprioceptive sensing in living actuators, and exploration of new scaffolding materials and cell sources for sustainable biohybrid robotics
• Advancing muscle-driven robots toward applications in adaptive prosthetics, biohybrid medical implants, and regenerative tissue engineering

• You commit fully to your research and bring an engineering mindset to a complex, interdisciplinary problem
• You thrive in collaborative teams and welcome scientific exchange across disciplines
• Hold a…