As part of the Electrical Engineering program of the Engineering Division and the Center of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at NYU Abu Dhabi the group of Prof. Kostas J. Kyriakopoulos seeks to improve the autonomy of Field Robotic systems by fusing control theoretic and machine intelligence approaches. Formal models are directly applied in real experimental facilities. Marine Robotics is our current emphasis, without excluding candidates with prior experience on Aerial or Ground Systems.

We are seeking a Post-Doctoral associate to join our expanding team and make significant contributions to the field. The researcher is expected to have (i) strong engineering skills to find innovative and cost-effective means to improve our research, and (ii) exemplary passion and motivation to enhance our multidisciplinary research at the intersection of control theory and machine intelligence. Methodologies of interest include:

• Robot modelling,
• Nonlinear and Optimal control,
• Reinforcement learning, and
• Data-driven modeling and control.

The Post-Doctoral associate will be based at NYU Abu Dhabi and will directly report to Prof. K.J.Kyriakopoulos in close collaboration with other researchers, PhD students, and undergraduate research assistants. The Post-Doctoral associate will engage with our regular collaborators at local institutions in the UAE and abroad.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct high-quality and innovative research primarily focused on Control theory and ML methodologies for Field Robotics;
• Support the supervisor in developing and implementing the research agenda;
• Reproduce results of the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods;
• Design and implement experiments on real platforms operating outdoors, to compare our proposed work with SOTA baselines;
• Contribute to the preparation of manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals and conferences;
• Create, maintain, and document high-quality research code for reproducibility; and
• Collaborate with scientists within the NYU Global Network and in Abu Dhabi.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possessing a Doctoral degree from a recognized institution in Electrical, Mechanical, Naval or Aerospace Engineering.
• First-author peer-reviewed published papers (and/or under review)
• Demonstrable research experience involving integration of hardware and software of robotic systems.
• Demonstrable research experience in conducting experiments for field robotic systems
• Proficient programming experience in embedded, real-time software in C/C++ and Python with several years of practice
• Experience in maintaining high-quality code on Github
• Ability to visualize experimental results
• Effective inter-personal and team-building skills
• Self-motivated with an ability to work independently and in a team to get the work done
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written communication)
• Willingness to learn and confront new challenges

The appointment will be for two (2) years with the option to renew further depending on performance. The terms of employment are very competitive and will include housing and travel subsidies. Applications will be accepted immediately and candidates will be considered until the position is filled. This position is not located in the United States. You must be willing to relocate to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

To be considered, all applicants must submit a cover letter, up-to-date CV, research statement (1-page), a transcript, and at least two letters of recommendation, all in PDF format on or before July 1, 2025. If you have any questions that are not answered in the job advert, please email: kk4812@nyu.edu and include [Application for postdoctoral researcher] in the subject line.

About NYUAD:

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU?s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.

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UAE Nationals are encouraged to apply.

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