Graduate Students
We always welcome applications for potential MS, PhD, and PostDoc students with research interests that are well aligned with ours. We are looking for motivated, hard-working, enthusiastic researchers with experience in, and control theory, reinforcement learning, and optimization. Preferred experience:
- Advanced programming proficiency (C++, Python, MATLAB)
- Experience with reinforcement learning algorithms (PPO, TD3, SAC)
- Experience with robotic control (Optimization, MPC, etc.)
- Experience with the current state of the art in locomotion controllers (Primary focus on SLIP models)
If you are a current OSU student, feel free to email contact.dynamicroboticslab@gmail.com. Otherwise please reach out to Alan Fern for application questions.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
We are always seeking talented students to help us achieve the goals of the DRAIL. For research assistants, the goal of laboratory research is to gain experience, learn from the graduate students and faculty, earn strong recommendations for graduate school and future careers, and gain advice from those who are more senior to you. There are several ways to get involved:
- Research for course credit
- Senior design project
- Curriculum certificate about “research active” undergraduate experience
- Volunteer
- Honors project and honors thesis
- Hourly paid positions*
To earn a position in the DRAIL, you must demonstrate that you are useful for laboratory research. Examples of convincing demonstrations include:
- Exemplary participation in the Robotics Club
- Prior projects and/or references
- Volunteer for no more than 10 weeks, to see if you are interested, and to prove yourself
To get more information, please reach out contact.dynamicroboticslab@gmail.com
*Important note: hourly paid positions are few, and held by those with skills that are critically needed by the laboratory. Whether paid or not, your motivation for working in the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory MUST be the interesting work, and the experience gained. Wages are analogous to a stipend, where the goal is to enable you to spend time doing research in the laboratory rather than working at a job.