Research Engineer - Autonomous Systems & Control

The University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid basic medical

Retirement contributions

Paid vacation and sick time

Paid holidays

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin’s Oden Institute seeks a Research Engineer to advance autonomous systems and control. You will lead design and development of information-aware trajectory planning and control algorithms for autonomous aircraft within the CyPhER Forge program.

Contribute to a broader portfolio of robotics, optimization, and learning-based control methods while collaborating across disciplines and validating results on simulations and hardware.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field or equivalent industry experience.
• Strong background in control, trajectory optimization, and ML.
• Experience with aircraft dynamics, flight control, or autonomous vehicle control.
• Experience developing large software projects (>10,000 LOC) in Python, C++, or similar.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop trajectory planning algorithms for autonomous aircraft.
• Design robust control strategies bridging models and multiphysics phenomena.
• Integrate trajectory planning with control for model discovery and uncertainty reduction.
• Develop and maintain large-scale software systems for autonomous systems.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to validate via simulation and hardware.
• Publish research findings at technical conferences.
• Contribute to program milestones including DARPA CyPhER Forge.

Skills

Control theory

Trajectory optimization

Machine learning

Python

C++

Flight dynamics

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

ROS

Job description

Job Posting Title

Research Engineer - Autonomous Systems & Control

Hiring Department

Oden Institute

Position Open To

All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours

40

FLSA Status

Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date

Nov 01, 2026

Position Duration

Expected to Continue Until Oct 31, 2027

Location

UT MAIN CAMPUS

General Notes

The Oden Institute is an organized research unit that fosters interdisciplinary programs in computational sciences and engineering, computational medicine, computational geosciences, mathematical modeling, applied mathematics, data science, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and computational visualization.

The University of Texas at Austin is a nationally ranked, tier-one research institution and one of the largest employers in central Texas. UT is located in the heart of Austin, a vibrant city that frequently appears on lists of best cities to live and work. Committed to recruiting and retaining a varied and talented workforce, the university offers competitive salaries and benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education and public service.

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
• Retirement contributions
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Must be eligible to work in the US on a full-time basis.

This position is fixed term and my be renewed annually contingent upon funding availability and satisfactory performance.

Purpose

We are seeking a talented Research Engineer to join our team. You will contribute to multiple research initiatives, including the DARPA CyPhER Forge program, where you will lead the design and development of information-aware trajectory planning and control algorithms for autonomous aircraft systems. Beyond this core focus, you will contribute to a broader portfolio of autonomous systems projects spanning robotics, optimization, and learning-based control methods.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement trajectory planning algorithms for autonomous aircraft that optimize information gathering while respecting vehicle dynamics and operational safety constraints
• Design robust control strategies that bridge the gap between idealized models and real-world multiphysics phenomena
• Integrate trajectory planning with control design to enable efficient model discovery and uncertainty reduction
• Develop and maintain large-scale software systems for autonomous systems research and deployment
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to validate algorithms through simulation, robot hardware, and experimental platforms
• Publish research findings and present results at technical conferences
• Contribute to program milestones and deliverables, including DARPA CyPhER Forge

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Control Systems, Robotics, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent industry experience)
• Strong background in control, trajectory optimization, and machine learning
• Experience with aircraft dynamics, flight control systems, and/or autonomous vehicle control
• Demonstrated experience developing large software projects (>10,000 lines of code) in relevant programming languages (Python, C++, or similar)
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work in collaborative environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Robot Operating System (ROS) and experience with robot hardware/software integration and testing
• Experience with active learning or information-theoretic approaches to optimization, learning, and/or control
• Experience with physics-based vehicle modeling
• Prior DARPA program experience
• Publication record in top-tier venus

Salary Range

$120,000-$150,000

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Use of manual dexterity

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Employment Eligibility

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.