Joining the Lab

We are recruiting highly motivated and talented individuals to join the lab!

Prospective graduate students are encouraged to apply to the School of Computer Science (and the specific Robotics Institute portal) before the deadline (typically mid-December). In your application, please make sure to mention my name under faculty you are interested in working with.

I am less likely to reply to emails that request joining my lab before the submission deadline. However, after you submit your application, you are encouraged to contact me via email (abajcsy at andrew.cmu.edu) with the subject line including the words "Prospective PhD Student". Please include your CV, a brief description of your research interests, why you are interested in working with me, and any relevant application material you would like to share in your email.

The PhD process can be opaque; please see the Useful Links section for some helpful information.

There are multiple options for Master's degrees at CMU. The MS in Robotics (MSR) involes coursework, research, and a thesis with a focus on placing you in academia or a research lab. The MS in Robotics Systems Development (MRSD) involves coursework a group project and focuses on placement in industry or applied labs. Finally, the MS of Computer Vision (MSCV) involves involves coursework a group project and focuses on placement in industry or applied labs.

Please apply to one of these programs. I would love to chat more about potential research collaborations after you have been admitted.

Please send me an email with the subject heading "Current PhD Student" and the following information and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

• CV and graduate transcript
• a brief description of why you are interested in my lab, and which research projects in the lab interested you and why
• experience (if any) in robotics, ML, control, human-robot interaction. Experience is not required, but knowing your background helps me find you a research fit.
• experience (if any) with Python/C++/MATLAB, ROS, working with robotics hardware. Again, experience is not required.
• please indicate whether you will need funding or not. Students who are applying for or have received fellowships are of particular interest. Please see the Useful Links section for graduate students.

Please send me an email with the subject heading "Current Undergraduate" or "Current Masters Student" and the following information and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

• CV and transcript
• a brief description of why you are interested in my lab, and which research projects in the lab interested you and why
• experience (if any) in robotics, ML, control, human-robot interaction. Experience is not required, but knowing your background helps me find you a research fit.
• experience (if any) with Python/C++/MATLAB, ROS, working with robotics hardware. Again, experience is not required.
• please indicate if you are seeking a funded position.

Undergraduates also have the opportunity to apply to summer research internships at CMU and beyond through the RI Summer Scholars program or NSF Research Internship for Undergraduates (REU).

• General Grad School Advice.

  This repository of links contains a wealth of advice on grad school applications, writing a CV, writing a statement of purpose, doing research, the PhD experience.

• Fellowships.

  Students who are actively applying for or have obtained external fellowships are of particular interest. It will be easier for you to find a spot in any lab (since you are self-funded), and the fellowship will stand out on your CV. Unfortunately, many of these fellowships are focused on domestic students. Below is a list of common fellowships and you can also find an exhaustive list of fellowships curated by CMU here.
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
  • DOD NDSEG
  • Hertz Fellowship
  • NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities
  • DOD SMART
  • Microsoft Fellowship
  • Siebel Scholar
  • Google PhD Fellowship
  • NVIDIA PhD Fellowship
  • Apple PhD Fellowship in AI/ML

• 5 Minutes With Cyrill.

  Professor Cyrill Stachniss recorded a series of 5-minute videos on very important, non-technical skills like preparing a conference talk or defending a research proposal, as well as technical subjects like backpropagation or Bayes filters.

• CMU Graduate Application Support Program.

  This student-run program provides feedback on graduate applications to CMU students. Check out more info here.

• Should you email professors? By Yonatan Bisk.

  Professor Yonatan Bisk has some helpful insights on emailing professors, understanding graduate admissions, and the specifics of the CMU CS / RI grad admissions.

• Andrej Karpathy's blog.

  This post about A Survival Guide to a PhD takes you through important aspects of the PhD including choosing an adviser, research topics, and writing papers.