Yifan Xu

Fully funded PhD opportunity in Robotics and Physical AI at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Dr. Yifan Xu is recruiting motivated PhD students to join in Spring 2027 or Fall 2027 . The research group focuses on the next generation of Physical AI : intelligent robotic systems that can perceive, reason, learn, and safely interact with the physical world. The work emphasizes autonomous robots for challenging tasks in construction and other complex, unstructured environments. Relevant academic areas: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Robot Learning, Motion Planning, Robot Manipulation, and Mobile Robotics. Eligibility highlights: Applicants should have a bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a closely related field. Strong programming ability in Python, C++, MATLAB, or equivalent is expected. Prior experience with ROS/ROS 2, robotics simulation tools (Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, Gazebo, PyBullet), robot learning, imitation learning, reinforcement learning, computer vision, 3D perception, multimodal AI, vision-language models, motion planning, or robot manipulation is highly desirable. Publications or prior research experience in robotics/AI are also valued. Funding: The post states that the PhD positions are fully funded. How to apply: Email Dr. Yifan Xu with a CV, unofficial transcript, and a brief statement of research interests. Optional materials include publications, GitHub, or a personal website. Location: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States.