Research Asst Professor​/Assistant Research Scientist

Who We Are

At Michigan Engineering, we develop the talent and technologies that move society forward and serve our state and national interests. Through discovery and innovation, we create the foundational knowledge and practical technologies to solve not only today's most pressing challenges, but also power industries and change lives. Our programs and community are designed to promote personal well-being and achievement - enabling everyone to unlock their potential and contribute with confidence.

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) is inviting qualified applicants to apply for a full-time open-rank research faculty position. Candidates will be considered for appointment as a Research Assistant Professor or an Assistant Research Scientist, based on qualifications and experience. Final appointment rank, title, and salary will be determined at the time of offer and will be commensurate with the candidate's credentials, including academic background, research accomplishments, publication record, funding experience, and alignment with UMTRI and University of Michigan appointment criteria.

This non-tenure-track position offers the opportunity to focus on research in the Engineering Systems Group (ESG)  position is supported by the Mcity 2.0 Project and will work closely with the PI on developing an agentic world model to advance autonomous vehicle (AV) testing and evaluation. The role includes co-supervision and mentorship of students and postdoctoral researchers in the Mobility Transformation Lab, contributing to research direction, project execution, and research dissemination.

The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in generative AI and foundation models, with a strong focus on their application to AV safety, scenario generation, and safety validation methodologies for autonomous driving systems.

We are seeking individuals who are interested in a long-term commitment to UMTRI and who will contribute to the excellence and diversity of our research efforts. The successful candidate would be required to live in or relocate to southeastern Michigan.

Follow the link below to learn more about the projects and research conducted at UMTRI:

https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./

• A Ph.D. in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Industrial, Transportation or Automotive Engineering
• Deep technical expertise in generative AI and foundation AI models
• Demonstrated experience with working with autonomous vehicle testing and safety validation of autonomous vehicles.
• Track record of collaboration on multi-stakeholder research projects (e.g., industry/government/academic consortia).
• Evidence of scholarly impact in relevant areas (e.g., peer-reviewed publications in AI/ML, robotics, AV testing/validation, or safety).
• Mentoring and/or supervisory experience with graduate students and/or postdoctoral researchers (co-supervision in a lab setting preferred).
• Strong programming and prototyping skills (e.g., Python) and fluency with modern ML tooling (e.g., PyTorch/JAX, experiment tracking, distributed training basics).
• Knowledge of autonomy stacks and AV simulation ecosystems (e.g., CARLA, LGSVL/SVL, SUMO, ROS2) and/or equivalent internal platforms.
• Ability to lead research directions and translate open-ended goals into executable plans (roadmaps, deliverables, timelines).
• Strong communication skills for research dissemination (papers, presentations, proposals) and cross-disciplinary teamwork.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.

Additional criteria for the Research Assistant Professor rank includes a strong local and growing national scholarly reputation on the basis of research productivity and contributions over several years, a record of peer-reviewed publications, and participation in relevant academic or professional meetings.

Additional criteria for the Assistant Research Scientist rank includes potential for scholarly development, possibly as part of a larger research program, a record of peer-reviewed publications, and participation in relevant academic or professional meetings.

• Some funding sources are subject to export control restrictions. Please note that these projects will require US Citizenship or permanent residency to work with export-controlled material.

As a research faculty member at UMTRI, you will:

• Conduct Scholarly Research at UMTRI: Conduct scholarly research, perform experiments, coordinate activities, and analyze data related to transportation safety and mobility.
• Collaboration: Work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team that includes engineers, psychologists, statisticians, behavioral scientists and research staff.
• Project Leadership
  :
  Lead and manage projects funded by government, industry, and other sponsors, ensuring timely and successful completion.
• Grant Writing and Funding: Write proposals to secure funding for research projects and contribute to the financial sustainability of the research group.
• Publication and…