Job Description

Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is a publicly funded research institute, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is home to a diverse community of leading scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and researchers from across the globe, transforming problems and roadblocks into pioneering research and technology prototypes that help move society ahead.
Artificial Intelligence and Digital Research Centre
This role is part of TII's Robotics Research Center.
Position Overview We are seeking a skilled Robotics Engineer with expertise in ROS2, modern C++, flight control systems, and behavior trees.
The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience working with flying vehicles (UAVs, drones, aerial platforms), from low-level control integration to high-level autonomy. You will contribute to the development, testing, and deployment of robotics software stacks, ensuring reliable and safe operation of aerial robotic systems in real-world environments.
Key Responsibilities

• Robotics Software Development: Design, implement, and maintain robotics applications in ROS2 using modern C++ and Python

- Develop real-time control modules, perception pipelines, and autonomy behaviors for UAVs.
- Implement behavior trees for mission logic, task sequencing, and reactive autonomy.
- Integrate new features into existing robotic frameworks while ensuring performance and safety.

• Flight Control Integration: Work with PX4 flight stack, MAVLink, and MAVSDK to enable advanced UAV functionalities.
• Testing & Validation: Build and execute simulation environments (Gazebo, AirSim, PX4 SITL/HITL) for UAV testing. Conduct flight tests to validate control, autonomy, and behavior tree-based mission modules.
• Systems & Deployment: Develop scalable and modular software architectures for aerial robotics applications. Ensure integration with distributed systems, cloudbased mission planners, or multi-robot frameworks.
• Research & Innovation: Stay current with the latest developments in robotics middleware, aerial autonomy, and behavior tree frameworks. Prototype and evaluate new approaches for flight safety, swarm coordination, and real-world robustness.

Core Competencies

• Robotics & Autonomy Expertise o Strong knowledge of ROS2, PX4 flight stack, MAVLink protocols, and UAV middleware. o Hands-on experience with behavior trees (BehaviorTree.CPP, py_trees, or similar) for autonomy and decision-making.

- Experience with real-time control, localization, navigation, and mission planning.
- Understanding of perception systems (lidar, cameras, IMUs, GPS) for aerial vehicles.

• Development Tools & Frameworks o Robotics middleware: ROS2, PX4, MAVSDK, MAVROS.

- Autonomy frameworks: BehaviorTree.CPP, py_trees, ROS2 behavior tree integrations.
- Simulation tools: Gazebo, AirSim, PX4 SITL/HITL environments.
- AI/ML integration (optional): PyTorch, TensorFlow.

• Programming Skills

- C++ (modern, C++17/20/23)
- core development for robotics and flight systems.
- Python - scripting, prototyping, and ROS2/PX4 tooling.

• Systems & Infrastructure o Proficiency in Linux-based development environments.

- Familiarity with embedded systems, real-time OS, and GPU acceleration.
- Knowledge of containerization (Docker) and CI/CD pipelines for robotics deployments.
Qualifications

• Master's, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• Proven track record of software development with ROS2 and UAV flight stacks (PX4, Ardupilot, or similar).
• Experience with behavior trees for autonomy and mission execution.
• Strong background in C++ robotics frameworks and real-time systems

At TII, we help society to overcome its biggest hurdles through a rigorous approach to scientific discovery and inquiry, using state-of-the-art facilities and collaboration with leading international
institutions. Our rigorous discovery and inquiry-based approach helps to forge new and disruptive breakthroughs in AI, advanced materials, autonomous robotics, cryptography, digital security, directed energy, quantum computing and secure systems.

Skills Required