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Ph.D. Opportunities
The Socially Intelligent Autonomy, Reasoning, and Learning Laboratory (STARLab) at Tennessee Technological University welcomes highly motivated Ph.D. students interested in advancing artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems.
We are recruiting prospective Ph.D. students with anticipated start dates in Spring/Fall 2027.
Our research focuses on developing human-centered, interpretable, and adaptive autonomous systems that can perceive, reason, learn, and interact effectively with humans in complex real-world environments.
Students will have opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary research in areas including:
- Human-centered and socially intelligent autonomy
- Learning-based decision-making and control
- Generative AI for autonomous systems
- Human behavior, cognition, and human-robot interaction
- Simulation and human-in-the-loop experimentation
Desired Background
We welcome applicants with:
- Academic backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Transportation Engineering, or related disciplines.
- Strong interests in artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems, and human-centered autonomy.
- Programming experience in Python, C++, or related languages.
- Knowledge of or interest in machine learning, robotics, control systems, and computational modeling.
- Interest or experience in simulation, experimental research, human-in-the-loop studies, or real-world validation.
- Strong motivation for independent research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and scientific innovation.
Applicants do not need to have prior experience in every research area listed above.
How to Apply
Prospective students are encouraged to contact Dr. Yongyang Liu at yliu@tntech.edu with:
- A current CV
- A brief description of their research interests and relevant background
Please include “Prospective Ph.D. Student — STARLab” in the email subject line.