Associate Professor in Automatic Control

IMT Atlantique internationally recognized for the quality of its research, is a leading technological university under the authority of the Ministry of Industry and Digital Technologies, ranked in the three main international rankings (THE, SHANGHAI, QS).

The position is open on the campus of Nantes within the Automation, Production and Computer Sciences department (DAPI). The department is part of LS2N (Laboratory of Digital Sciences of Nantes, UMR CNRS 6004), of which IMT Atlantique is one of the partner.

Thematic and research challenges

You will develop your research activities as part of the LS2N Codex team, and will collaborate in particular with the teacher-researchers at IMT Atlantique on the themes of control, observation and robust diagnostics. In the speculative and methodological field, the successful applicant will share their vision on potential ways to eliminate certain key obstacles to controlling industrial or biological systems: i/widening of the class of dynamic systems which it is possible to apprehend effectively, ii/ realistic methods of managing the constraints on the inputs and states of the system, iii/ new methods of efficient learning, in connection with developments in artificial intelligence.

IMT Atlantique pays particular attention to develop close links with industry and other players involved in major societal issues. The candidate will be expected to participate in the team's research development activities through contracts or collaborative projects such as ANR, European, etc. For example, current projects deal with various fields: Let’s mention the land vehicle industry (on-road or off-road) or maritime, with the challenges of autonomy and energy efficiency; as well as robotics and even cobotics, with applications in agriculture or industrial manufacturing: cable-driven parallel robots, mechanisms operating at high speed and high precision. The team has also increasing activities in the energetic sector: energy optimization of processes (swimming pools, agricultural greenhouses, buildings), decarbonized energy production, etc.

In order to prepare for the candidate's integration, certain research challenges may be highlighted; however, candidates are strongly encouraged to propose additional avenues that may not be included in the list.

Education

Located on 3 attractive campuses, IMT Atlantique boasts a strong international dynamic while remaining on a human scale. In its various Master programs (engineering and masters-DNM), students are confronted with real-life problem situations through a variety of pedagogical approaches. The ambition of IMT Atlantique is to train high-potential young professionals, capable of mobilizing a broad spectrum of skills in real-life situations, in a variety of environments (production, research, business creation, etc.) and socio-economic fields.

Involved both in the core curriculum and in the elective courses, the person recruited will contribute both to his or her specialty in applied mathematics, automatic control and signal processing, but also to related disciplines such as electronics and embedded systems, in courses as well as in cross-disciplinary, interdisciplinary activities or those linked to companies: tutoring of projects/internships, oral presentations, coaching, etc. He/she will be invited to propose new projects, programs and related teaching methodologies, particularly inspired and supported by industrial requirements and partnerships. https://www.imt-atlantique.fr/en/study

Collective responsibility and involvement in economic development

Particular attention will be focused on the candidate's ability to get involved in the collective life of the school: contributing to, or piloting, cross-disciplinary projects (e.g. on ecological transition), taking on responsibilities (training programs, research projects, teaching or research teams) or participating in bodies such as the teaching committee, school council, social administration committee.

In addition, in an environment of privileged relations with major national and international industrial partners, as well as a dense network of SMEs and start-ups, the teacher-researcher recruited will contribute to the school's reputation and economic development, particularly through the valorization of his/her work by patenting or technology transfer. With 290 permanent faculty members, 2,000 students including 300 PhD students, IMT Atlantique produces 1,000 publications each year and raises 18M€ in research funds.

Expected competences

Please read carefully the mandatory and expected qualities of candidates for Associate Professor positions at IMT Atlantique at the following address:

https://www.imt-atlantique.fr/en/about/work/faculty-member/skills-associate-professor

In the case of this open position, a special and complementary emphasis will be put on the candidates’ skills in the fields of automatic control (robust control), artificial intelligence (learning and optimization methods, neural networks), signal processing and identification theory.

Schedule

Deadline for applications: June 6th, 2025 23h59 Paris time

Date of Recruitment interview: June, 2025

Starting date : September 2025

Documents to apply :

Download and fill in the application form

• CV
• Cover letter
• Copy of diplomas or certificate of achievement
• Copy of identity card or passport
• Integration project on 3 axis : Teaching / research / Valorization
• Report of your thesis
• Report of juror’s thesis
• Any other evidence that may support your application

Contact

For any further information, please contact:

• Alexandre Dolgui, head of DAPI department – alexandre.dolgui@imt-atlantique.fr – +33 251 858 218
• Philippe Chevrel, co-leader of the Codex team – philippe.chevrel@imt-atlantique.fr – +33 251 858 340