Science and Technology Lead - Robot Locomotion

Application Deadline: 17 May 2026

Department: Programmes

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: £70,000 - £105,000 / year

Description

Salary Levels: £70,000, £90,000, £105,000 (offers will be calibrated on benchmarked experience levels and assessment against our selection criteria) Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere Employment Type: Full-time
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: 17.05.26

ARIA is a new R&D funding agency built to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.

From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

If you want to help make breakthroughs like these possible, come and build ARIA with us.
Learn more here. 

Role Summary

As an ARIA Science and Technology Lead, you will have the rare chance to catalyse breakthroughs that could change the world. work closely with Programme Director Jenny Read, Programme Specialist Celia Choimet, and the Science and Technology Lead, Radhika Gudipati, on ARIA's existing programme on Robot Dexterity. You’ll be exposed to every aspect of the programme's technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery.
Your impact will extend beyond a single programme; you will play a key role in strengthening the wider Smarter Robot Bodies opportunity space, with a deep, evolving understanding of programmes and projects over time. As Programme Directors join the opportunity space and new programmes are launched, you will surface insights that build on existing ARIA-funded technologies, accelerate discovery, and turn past lessons into future breakthroughs, maximising impact across the portfolio.

We’re looking for an adaptable technical professional who’s strongly motivated by the opportunity to catalyse a technological step change. You’ll be working in a bold, talented, and agile team, funding projects (‘Creators’) across the entire R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science and technology.

Meet Jenny Read

Jenny Read is one of ARIA’s first cohort of Programme Directors. Jenny originally trained as a physicist but has spent most of her career in computational neuroscience and vision science before starting ARIA’s robotics work in 2023. Her ongoing programme on Robot Dexterity is funding projects that are developing novel actuators, tactile sensors and co-designing hardware and control aimed at unlocking more capable robot manipulation. 
Jenny is now developing a second programme on efficient robot locomotion. Current robots are energetically inefficient because they rely on stiff, heavy motors that fight physics; this programme shifts the focus from better batteries to improved actuators and morphological intelligence - using elasticity, resonance, and musculoskeletal designs to recycle energy like biological systems. You’ll be supporting all technical aspects of the workload and facilitating the successful execution of projects within the programme portfolio.
Explore Jenny’s early thinking on this new programme here.

“The current robot dexterity programme team has strong academic and industry experience focused on manipulation. I am seeking someone with hands-on expertise in robot locomotion, including both hardware and simulation.”
Jenny Read, Programme Director

What you'll do

The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following: 

Technical Programme Advisory and Support

• Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold research programme driving breakthroughs in efficient robot locomotion.
• Review project proposals, grant applications, assess technical milestones, and stay close to the ground on what’s being built and tested by Creator teams.
• Plan, lead, and contribute to technical discussions in project meetings, workshops, and formal reviews, bringing depth, challenge, and direction to every interaction.
• Provide evidence-based technical insight to the Programme Director and the ARIA team to support high-quality decisions and sharpen the programme’s strategic direction.
• Confidently communicate complex scientific ideas surrounding the programme to stakeholders, from government and funders to key players across the ecosystem.
• Contribute your technical prowess in application areas for robot locomotion (e.g., inspection & maintenance, construction, etc.) and other cutting-edge capabilities within the program, amplifying its overall effectiveness. 
• Identify emerging trends and surface the most promising technologies, people, and ideas across the programme and its surrounding opportunity space.
• Co-author white papers, open calls, and technical reviews that articulate the ambition of the programme and set a clear, compelling vision for external communities.
• Work closely with the Programme Specialist and Creator teams to drive project delivery, tracking against ambitious technical milestones, benchmarking progress against the state of the art, and spotting opportunities for research cross-pollination to sustain momentum.
• Provide continuity to the opportunity space, and maintain a deep understanding of past and present programmes, and Creator projects, to help new Programme Directors build on what has worked, avoid what hasn’t, and leverage existing technologies and insights.

Connecting the Programme to the Ecosystem

• Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
• Support the broader opportunity space by identifying and developing innovative ways to expand it, bringing in new ideas, talent, and opportunities that deliver long-term value beyond the immediate needs of one programme.
• Build trusted relationships with world-class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme’s focus area, as well as the broader opportunity space.
• Work closely with ARIA’s Activation Partners to ensure Creator teams can access the right tools, platforms, and networks to accelerate translation and achieve impact beyond ARIA’s direct reach.
  
  

Define and Cultivate ARIA’s Technical Culture

• Collaborate across ARIA on funding models, budgets, tooling, and operational mechanisms to support effective, flexible funding and programme delivery.
• Contribute as a member of ARIA’s team of Science and Technology Leads, sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA’s overall portfolio of work.
• Identify opportunities to expand the opportunity space and build the connective tissue between adjacent spaces.
• Help build and sustain ARIA’s scientific and operational culture.

Who you are

Essential Criteria 

• You have first-hand exposure to developing robotics hardware and simulations, preferably in robot locomotion. 
• You have a general understanding of machine learning / artificial intelligence. 
• You excel in grasping and navigating diverse technical projects. 
• You excel at translating complex technical concepts and timelines to diverse stakeholders, effectively bridging gaps between diverse teams and perspectives.
• You are willing to ask questions and can rapidly learn and adapt to new scientific areas, comprehending key components of new technical disciplines.
• You can uncover non-obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation.
• Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast-paced environment.
• You comprehend and articulate complex concepts clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.

Desirable Criteria

• You have worked with robotics / mechatronics systems design, notably in robotic locomotion. 
• You have worked with robotic control systems.
• You have worked with robot simulations.
• You have played a senior role in a robotics development project. 
• You have practical expertise in machine learning / artificial intelligence.
• You have worked in research labs and/or industry, or other fast-paced environments. 
• You have experience moving research from the lab to a product, whether in a startup or larger company.
• You have successfully performed technical assignments that require unconventional or novel approaches. 
• You are skilled in identifying technical bottlenecks, risk analysis and resolution, tracking technical milestones, and reporting on complex technical projects.
• You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem.

Qualifications

You have a scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD or other deeper technical experience in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; Robotic hardware, robotic software, robot control, robot simulation, materials science, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or systems engineering.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.
If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

Please note; You will be required, as and when necessary, to travel to different locations around the UK and internationally to support projects, depending on the Programme you are designated to.
ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.