Postdoc Research Associate - Aerospace Engineering

##

Position Title:

Postdoc Research Associate - Aerospace Engineering## Appointment Type:

Post Doc/Trainee##

Job Description:

##
** Summary of

Duties and Responsibilities:

** The Postdoctoral Research Associates will work under the direction of Prof. Abhishek Halder and will conduct interdisciplinary research in the areas of stochastic control, optimal mass transport, and the Schrödinger bridge. They will pursue collaborative research publications and will help mentor graduate students. The position requires a Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in engineering, computer science, operations research, mathematics, or a related field.##

** Required

Minimum Qualifications:

** Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in engineering, computer science, operations research, mathematics, or a related field.

Strong analytical, computational, and written communication skills evidenced by a publication record in the area of control theory, mathematical optimization, AI, or machine learning.##
*
* Preferred Qualifications:

** Publication record in optimal mass transport, Schrödinger bridge, stochastic calculus, in venues such as IEEE TAC, Automatica, SIAM J. Control and Optimization, SIAM J. Mathematics of Data Science, CDC, ACC, NeurIPS, ICLR, AISTATS, ICML, JMLR, TMLR##
** Department/Program & College

Description:

** Iowa State has a long history of educational and research excellence in aerospace engineering. This includes training students for engineering careers in aviation, starting as early as 1928; housing one of five NASA centers of excellence in Computational Fluid Dynamics in the 1970s; building the world’s first Tornado and Downburst simulator; and housing the only university icing research wind tunnel in the United States.##

** Department Unit/Website:
** https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Proposed

Start Date:

February 1, 2026## Proposed End Date or Length of Term:

January 31, 2027## Number of Months Employed Per Year:12 Month Work Period## Time Type:

Full time## Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:
1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae
2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter    If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment or call  or Toll Free:
Iowa State Postdocs enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:  
• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans  
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans  
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)  
• Flexible Spending Accounts  
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts  
• Employee Assistance Program  
• Wellbeing Program## Original Posting Date:

January 5, 2026## Posting Close Date:

January 19, 2026## Job

Requisition Number:

R18356

By focusing on the future and providing the best student experience possible,  attracts students and faculty who want to make a difference. With a comprehensive land-grant mission of education, research, extension and outreach, we produce scholars whose ideas change the world. And through Innovate at Iowa State, we provide innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Located just 30 minutes north of Des Moines, the city of Ames was recently named one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for campus life and career opportunities.

Iowa State University is a welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff. Campus community members have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and are committed to engaging with each other respectfully as outlined in the university's . Iowa State recognizes that diverse intellectual and philosophical perspectives are vital to innovation, critical thinking skills, and a dynamic academic community that fosters the land-grant ideals of putting science, technology, and human creativity to work.

All offers of employment, oral and written, are contingent upon the university’s verification of credentials and other information required by federal and state law, ISU policies/procedures, and may include the completion of a background check and/or a…