Amadeus Capital Partners is seeking an exceptional UK-based PhD student to join our 12-week Venture Fellowship Programme from September 2026 to December 2026 focused on robotics.
Mentored by a member of our Early-Stage Investment Team, the programme is designed for PhD students excited by the commercialisation of emerging robotics and autonomous systems technologies. It offers a unique opportunity to gain exposure to early-stage venture capital investing, start-up ecosystems, and deep-tech market evaluation, including market mapping and business analysis techniques – ultimately translating research into commercial insight at the intersection of robotics, autonomy, and scalable innovation.
The programme will focus on the application of robotics within a specific market sector. While Fellows are encouraged to pursue the area most closely aligned with their research and interests, we are particularly interested in the sectors of data centres, logistics and mining and energy. Other areas of interest include infrastructure, warehousing and fulfilment, healthcare and surgical robotics, agriculture, construction, marine and underwater vehicles, aerial drones /UAVs, manufacturing, or defence. The Fellow will then map the latest developments in robotics and autonomous systems within that chosen sector.
What you’ll work on:
Venture Fellows will be tasked with assessing the application of robotics within their chosen market sector and its commercial potential.
Research topics may include:
- Robotics hardware: actuation, manipulators, mobility platforms, and end-effectors
- Perception, sensing, and navigation
- Autonomy, control, and robot learning (e.g. foundation models for robotics, reinforcement learning, sim-to-real)
- Human-robot interaction, safety, and real-world deployment
- Sector-specific robotics applications and the surrounding competitive landscape
Deliverables:
You will present your research to the Investment Team in the form of a deep-dive market map and industry report, including technical summaries and real-world use cases, combined with identifying leading researchers and (if applicable) companies in the field.
Fellowship Details and Requirements
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Commitment: 3-5 hours per week
- Stipend: £1,200 (payable in two instalments)
- Location: UK based
We are looking for candidates who are:
- Enrolled and ideally in year 2 of a PhD programme in a STEM subject in the UK
- Interested in venture capital, start-ups, innovation, and entrepreneurship
- Strong analytical thinkers with excellent communication skills
- Able to attend weekly meetings with Investment team members
To Apply:
Please submit your CV and you will be asked to answer the following questions on the next step:
- Why are you interested in Venture Capital?
- What is the research thesis of your PhD and explain why it is important?
- Elaborate on 2-3 technologies or sectors that you believe will have a significant impact in the way we live and why?
- What specific technology or a sector interests you the most, why? What commercial applications could it have?
- What has been your biggest success? Describe an individual risk you have taken
Kindly limit the total number of words for all questions combined to 1,000 words or less.
