Robotics, Computer Vision, Sensors and Health Monitoring

Position description: The Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering is recruiting a PhD student to conduct multidisciplinary research in one or more of the following areas: 1) robotics and computer vision with applications to remanufacturing, infrastructure inspection, and building construction automation, and 2) multi-objective optimization with applications to optimal sensor placement and performance-based structural design and/or network design. A solid background and/or interest in the following subjects is required: robotics, image/signal processing, computer vision with coding experience in python, machine/deep learning, or a related experimental or analytical field.

Financial support: Doctoral students are supported with a stipend ($28,541 for AY 22/23), paid tuition and healthcare. Financial support after the first year is contingent on academic standing and research progress.

Research Facilities: IBE faculty and students have access to state-of-the-art research facilities, including Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL), Shared Instrumentation Laboratories (SIL), and the Center for Computational Research (CCR). SEESL is equipped with a diverse array of test equipment and platforms, including two 6 DOF earthquake simulators, a geotechnical laminar box, a multiple-fan wind tunnel, a strong floor and strong wall, a furnace for structural fire testing, wind tunnel, and standard tools and equipment needed for performing state-of-the-art concrete materials and geotechnical-engineering research. An unmanned aerial vehicle test platform at the university, shown below, is equipped with the Vicon motion capture system for fast motion capture, path planning, learning, and tracking control. SIL provides access to a scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, nano-indenter, and other advanced equipment for nano/micro-scale investigation of materials. CCR is an academic supercomputing facility at the University at Buffalo and maintains high-performance computing and visualization laboratories.

Contact assistant professor Xiao Liang for the position description and Jackie Baum, graduate studies coordinator, for other information, including admission, visas, and the graduate program in the department.