Meng Yuan

🚀 PhD opportunities are available in control, robotics, and learning-based optimisation at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington , New Zealand. The project sits at the intersection of model predictive control (MPC) and reinforcement learning (RL) , with applications to safe, efficient, and adaptive controllers for real engineering systems. Research directions include robotic manipulators and high-precision motion control, quadruped robots and loco-manipulation, and energy systems such as battery fast charging and home/building energy management with EVs. The supervisor is Meng Yuan , a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Engineering and Computer Science , working in the Mechatronics Group and closely with the Sustainable Energy Systems Research Group . The lab is building a hardware platform with a robotic arm and a quadruped robot, so the role includes substantial hands-on experimental work. Funding: The Wellington Doctoral Scholarship offers NZ$32,000 per year plus tuition fees for up to three years . Chinese citizens are also encouraged to apply for the CSC–VUW Joint PhD Scholarship . The post notes that international PhD students in New Zealand pay domestic tuition fees. Eligibility highlights: background in control, mechatronics, electrical or mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, or computer science; strong MATLAB and Python skills; and strong interest in engineering research. Publications are a plus for scholarship applications. Application window: the next round closes on 1 November 2026 . How to apply: email [email protected] with the subject line “PhD Application – Your Name – Research Interest” and attach your CV, transcripts, a one-page research statement, and a representative paper or thesis. More details are available on the supervisor’s homepage.