Postdoctoral Research Associate - Robotics and AI

About the role

The University of Mississippi - fondly referred to as Ole Miss - stands as a premier public research institution with a proud legacy of academic distinction. We are devoted to nurturing a vibrant, inclusive community where every member - student, faculty, and staff - can achieve their fullest potential.

Job Summary

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mississippi seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate in robotics and AI to join Dr. Xiaopeng Zhao's research group. We welcome applicants from across engineering and computer science with expertise in any area of robotics, including manipulation, mobile and legged robots, autonomous navigation, perception and computer vision, motion planning and control, learning-based control, human-robot interaction, and sensing and state estimation.

The group's distinctive focus is making AI-enabled robots reliable and deployable in the real world: not only building capable systems, but validating them, monitoring them, and establishing the credibility that lets them be trusted in clinical and industrial settings. You will apply your robotics expertise to real hardware on various testbeds. The role includes a named part in proposal development, mentoring of graduate students, and a clear path toward research-faculty status as external funding grows.

About the role

• Develop, implement, and deploy robotics and AI methods on real hardware, in the area that fits your strengths (for example perception, control, planning, learning, manipulation, navigation, or human-robot interaction).
• Help make those systems reliable and deployable: validation, testing, runtime monitoring, and building the case for safe real-world use.
• Lead publications, present at leading venues, and co-develop federal and foundation proposals.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students and develop reusable methods, demonstrations, and shared testbeds that build lasting research capacity.
• Collaborate with clinical, industrial, and academic partners across disciplines.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related field by the time of appointment.
• Research experience in one or more areas of robotics or autonomous systems (for example manipulation, mobile or legged robots, navigation, perception, motion planning and control, learning-based control, sensing and state estimation, or human-robot interaction).
• Hands-on experience building or deploying robotic systems on physical hardware (for example ROS / ROS 2), or a clear track record of moving work from simulation to hardware.
• Proficiency in Python and modern machine-learning tools (for example PyTorch), and systems-level programming (C++ / ROS).
• A strong publication record relative to career stage, including at least one first-author paper, and excellent written and verbal communication in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest or experience in making AI-enabled systems trustworthy: verification and validation, uncertainty quantification, runtime monitoring, safety cases, or reliability.
• Experience with medical or physiological devices, or with industrial automation and manufacturing robotics.
• Experience contributing to research proposals and mentoring students across disciplines.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and will follow institutional guidelines. The position includes a competitive benefits package.

Application Materials

• A cover letter describing research interests, relevant experience, and career goals.
• A curriculum vitae.
• A statement of research accomplishments and future goals (maximum two pages).
• Up to two representative publications.
• Contact information for three professional references.

Education Qualifications

PhD (Required)