PhD in Multi-modal Co-localization and Mapping for Underwater Marine Robotics University of Montpellier in France

PhD opportunity in Marine Robotics at the University of Montpellier, France. The Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics of Montpellier (LIRMM) is recruiting a PhD student for a project on multi-modal co-localization and mapping for a heterogeneous fleet of underwater robots.

The research focuses on multi-agent SLAM for underwater robots operating in a shared environment without inter-robot positioning measurements. The project combines camera-based visual observations with imaging forward-looking sonar to support robust mapping and localization in challenging underwater conditions. The topic is strongly oriented toward robotics, computer vision, image processing, sensor fusion, probabilistic mapping, and volumetric alignment.

Supervision: Pr. Vincent Creuze (director), Dr. Juliette Drupt (advisor), Dr. Noura Faraj (advisor), and Dr. Frederic Comby (advisor).

Location: LIRMM, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.

Duration: 36 months, from October 2026 to September 2029.

Funding: funding is currently to be confirmed.

Eligibility highlights: applicants should hold a master’s degree or engineering degree in robotics, computer vision, or a related field; have strong mathematics and programming skills (Python, C/C++, ROS/ROS2, Linux); have basic knowledge of image processing and robotics; and demonstrate a very good level of English. OpenCV familiarity is a plus.

Application deadline: 10 June 2026.

Application note: candidates must provide the name and contact details of a referee (master thesis supervisor, head of master, or professor from the master). An interview and technical tests will be used for selection.

This is a strong fit for students interested in underwater robotics, marine robotics, SLAM, sonar-camera fusion, multi-robot systems, and autonomous mapping.