PhD student in Artificial Intelligence /
Automatic Control

The Nordling Lab is always seeking talented PhD students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automatic Control (AC). We are doing interdisciplinary research that involves our core competence in data science and mathematical modelling of biological and cyber-physical systems. The projects depend on the funding, so please see our Projects. 

We welcome applications from anyone with a Master in a quantitative STEM field, e.g. Science, Technology, Engineering, Economics, and Mathematics, that is interested in Deep Learning. Some documented courses on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Automatic Control, System Identification, Signal Processing, Statistics, Stochastic Processes, or Algebra is required. Experience of using a scientific programming language, in particular Python or Matlab, is also required, and knowledge of C/C++ beneficial.

To apply, please submit (1) a current CV, including a short biography and link to your GitHub/Bitbucket profile, (2) one recommendation letter, (3) a recent transcript, as one PDF file by email to  [email protected]. Please write “Application for PhD student in Artificial Intelligence / Automatic Control” in the subject field of your email. You also either need to apply for admission to the doctoral program in Mechanical Engineering at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), or a doctoral program in Sweden, e.g. at Umeå University, and ask the program coordinator to request that Dr. Nordling act either as main supervisor (huvudhandledare) or assisting supervisor (bihandledare). E.g. Wallenberg AI, Autonomous systems and software program (WASP) regularly have calls for PhD students that need to find a supervisor.

About the Principal Investigator

Dr. Torbjörn Nordling is an Associate Professor in Automatic Control at the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at the National Cheng Kung University since Feb. 2024. He obtained both his Ph.D. in Automatic Control (2013) and his M.Sc. in Engineering Physics (2005) from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer in Media Technology at the Dept. of Applied Physics and Electronics at Umeå University and did a PostDoc at the Dept. of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University. He has been a visiting researcher at Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine in Naples and ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project at Japan Science and Technology Agency in Tokyo. He has also co-founded several companies. For more information, please, see his Profile.

About the National Cheng Kung University

The National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) is one of Taiwan’s two major comprehensive universities, alongside National Taiwan University, with approximately 21,000 full-time students, attracting some of the nation’s top talent due to its strong academic reputation. NCKU is recognized as number one in academia-industry collaborations nationwide, a status supported by its consistent recognition in industry surveys. The Best College Graduates Nominated by Industry (Global Views Magazine/104 Job Bank) ranked NCKU as number one in Taiwan 2010-2015, as did Top 1000 Taiwanese Enterprises (Cheers Magazine) 2010-2015 and 2017-2024.

In global rankings, Times Higher Education placed NCKU in the 501–600 bracket in the World University Rankings 2025 and 94th in the Asia University Rankings 2024, and 25th in the Impact Rankings 2024. The QS World University Rankings 2025 positioned NCKU at 215th globally and 131st in the QS Sustainability Ranking 2024. The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2025 ranked NCKU 437th worldwide. The CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024 ranked it 276th globally for publication output and 486th for research impact (top 10% most-cited publications), placing it 4th in Taiwan for the period 2019-2022 using fractional counting.

In subject-specific rankings, NCKU excels in engineering fields. The US News & World Report 2024 ranked NCKU 165th globally in “Best Global Universities for Engineering,” while QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 placed it 101–150 globally in “Engineering & Technology,” and Times Higher Education Subject Rankings 2025 ranked it 301–400 globally in Engineering. The CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024 ranked it 189th in “Physical Sciences and Engineering” for publication output. For Mechanical Engineering, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 positioned NCKU at 101–150 globally, and ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023 placed it at 151–200 globally, maintaining its national ranking within the top 1st–4th in Taiwan. In Medical Technology, ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023 ranked NCKU 301–400 globally, placing it 4th–6th nationally in Taiwan, underscoring its research strengths across these disciplines.

About Taiwan and Tainan

Taiwan (formally the Republic of China) is a stable democracy located on Formosa, an island east of the Peoples Republic of China and south of Japan. Standard Chinese is the official language and traditional Chinese characters are used. According to InterNations Expat Insider survey 2021, “Taiwan ranks 1st out of 59 destinations for the third year in a row in the Expat Insider 2021 survey. It also comes first in the Quality of Life and Working Abroad Indices: Most expats are satisfied with their job security (83% vs. 61% globally) and the state of the local economy (85% vs. 62% globally).

Additionally, the majority is happy with their job (75% vs. 68% globally) and their life in general (80% vs. 75% globally). Furthermore, 96% of expats rate the quality of medical care positively (vs. 71% globally), and another 94% are satisfied with its affordability (vs. 61% globally).” With a total GPD (PPP) of $1.2T and population of 24M, Taiwan is the 19th wealthiest country in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita, according to the International Monetary Fund 2017, on pair with Australia and Denmark. With a cost of living index of 65, Taiwan is 31st, 20% cheaper than Australia and 30% cheaper than Denmark, according to Numbeo 2018. The expenditure in US$ PPP on research and development in Taiwan was 33.7B (11th highest), 3.1% of GDP PPP (6th highest) in 2015, which makes Taiwan one of the better countries to get funding for research in.

Tainan is the oldest city and was the capital of Taiwan for over 2 centuries. Nowadays, it is considered the cultural capital with the largest number of temples and rich variety of food. Tainan has tropical savanna climate with a daily mean temperature between 18.5 and 29.2 °C and average rainy days between 2.2 and 15.3 every month. The median total monthly cost of living, including food, rent, and other expenses, among all students in the Nordling Lab in January 2018 was 13 300 TWD.