Robotics & AI Postdoc: Build & Validate Real-World Systems

University of Mississippi; United States; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Mississippi’s Department of Mechanical Engineering invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in robotics and AI to join Dr. Xiaopeng Zhao’s group.

The position welcomes applicants from engineering and CS with expertise in robotics areas such as manipulation, autonomous navigation, perception, planning, and learning-based control. You will work on real hardware across testbeds, supervise graduate students, and contribute to proposals.

Qualifications

• PhD in Mechanical, Electrical/Computer Engineering, CS, Robotics or related field by appointment.
• Strong robotics/autonomous systems background with publications.
• Hands-on robotics hardware experience (ROS/ROS 2) or moving work from sim to real.
• Proficiency in Python, ML tools (PyTorch), and C++/ROS.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and deploy robotics/AI methods on real hardware across testbeds.
• Lead publications and co-develop federal and foundation proposals.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students; create reusable methods and testbeds.
• Collaborate with clinical, industrial, and academic partners.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

C++

ROS

English

Education

PhD in Mechanical/EE/CS/Robotics or related field

Tools

ROS

Job description

The University of Mississippi’s Department of Mechanical Engineering invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in robotics and AI to join Dr. Xiaopeng Zhao’s group.

The position welcomes applicants from engineering and CS with expertise in robotics areas such as manipulation, autonomous navigation, perception, planning, and learning-based control. You will work on real hardware across testbeds, supervise graduate students, and contribute to proposals.