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
----

Job Details:

General Notes

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

Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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.

----