HumanTech Institute – Universitat Politècnica de València
Location: Valencia / hybrid model with regular presence in the lab
Expected start date: October 2026
Approximate salary: €25k gross/year
Position type: Junior / PhD Track
At LabLENI, part of the HumanTech Institute at the Universitat Politècnica de València, we are looking for a junior profile with a solid technical background in software engineering, artificial intelligence, or interactive systems to join the European project VICTOR-XR, focused on conversational agents, virtual humans, XR, and digital twins.
This position is intended for someone who wants to grow technically and develop an applied PhD at the intersection of LLM agents, software architectures, human-AI interaction, virtual humans, digital twins, and XR environments.
The project will develop a platform in which users will be able to interact by voice with virtual human avatars integrated into XR environments. These avatars will act as cognitive co-pilots capable of interpreting context, connecting with external tools and systems, providing explainable assistance, and adapting their responses to the user’s state and the task at hand.
What you will do
You will participate in the design, development, and integration of prototypes related to:
- Python backends for conversational agents, AI services, and dynamic tools.
- Integration of generative models and LLM agents into real-time interaction workflows.
- Definition of tools for LLM agents, tool calling, and MCP-like architectures.
- Design of APIs and services to connect users, agents, sensors, digital twins, and XR environments.
- Integration of the co-pilot with virtual human avatars and Unity/OpenXR environments.
- Development of explainable, controlled, and safe dialogue mechanisms for industrial and healthcare contexts.
- Integration with multimodal signals such as voice, interaction data, sensors, or user-state indicators.
- Deployment, testing, and validation of prototypes in collaboration with European partners.
- Contribution to scientific publications, technical documentation, and participation in international conferences.
We do not expect you to master all of this from day one. We are looking for someone with a strong foundation, autonomy, technical curiosity, and a genuine interest in building systems that work beyond a nice PowerPoint demo.
Profile we are looking for
This position may be especially suitable for someone who is finishing or has recently completed a master’s degree in areas such as:
- Software Engineering.
- Artificial Intelligence.
- Data Science.
- Robotics, IoT, or intelligent systems.
- Interactive technologies, XR, or related fields.
Main requirements
- Strong programming foundation in Python.
- Basic knowledge of APIs, backend development, or software architecture.
- Familiarity with Git and collaborative development environments.
- Interest in LLM agents, tool calling, RAG, conversational systems, or applied AI.
- Ability to learn independently and a prototyping-oriented mindset.
- Interest in developing an applied PhD.
- Holding an official master’s degree, or being close to completing one, that qualifies the candidate to pursue a PhD in Spain.
- C1 level of spoken and written English to work within the framework of a European project.
Additional assets
The following will be positively valued:
- Experience with FastAPI, WebSockets, REST APIs, or microservice architectures.
- Knowledge of Docker, basic deployment, or DevOps tools.
- Interest or experience in MCP, LLM agents, multi-agent systems, or AI orchestration.
- Knowledge of Unity, C#, OpenXR, or XR systems integration.
- Experience with sensors, IoT, physiological signals, or multimodal interaction.
- Interest in digital twins, simulation, or industrial environments.
- Previous experience in research projects, publications, a technical master’s thesis, or personal repositories.
Who this position may interest
This position may be especially interesting if you believe that the future of software engineering will involve systems in which AI agents interact with tools, documentation, sensors, simulations, and complex industrial or clinical environments.
We are not looking for a senior profile. We are looking for someone with potential, technical judgement, autonomy, and motivation to learn, build, and grow within an applied research line.
What we offer
- Contract & Outstanding Work-Life Balance: A 3-year contract with flexible hours and 1 day of remote work per week. Exceptional leave policy including a full month in August, weeks off at Christmas and Easter, plus additional personal days and a reduced daily schedule.
- PhD & Career Development: The opportunity to pursue an applied PhD linked to the project, actively participating in scientific publications, international conferences, and technological developments with real-world transfer potential.
- Top-Tier Research & Network: Join LabLENI / HumanTech, a world-leading environment in human-centred technologies. You will work with the latest XR and AI tools within a European R&D project, collaborating alongside high-level partners in industrial and healthcare contexts.
- UPV Campus Amenities: Access to excellent university facilities, including an on-campus health center, plus a gym and daycare at highly reduced prices.