Job Description

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. +45 6550 1226

e-mail: andrei@sdu.dk

Last day to submit application is May 26 2026 kl. 23:59
Please note, the selected candidate as Student Assistant or Academic Supervisor must be enrolled as student at SDU.

Employment shall take place in accordance with the framework agreement between the Ministry of Finance and SUL (National Union for Student Teachers in Government Service).

In case you have not yet had an examination at SDU, the enrollment confirmation instead of the exam transcript must be annexed your application.

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.

All attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. Cover letter and CV can contain max. 5 Mb.

We recommend that you read how to apply before you apply.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

About SDU
The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success