Research Assistant in Materials Science and Additive Manufacturing

Maximum appointment is limited to twenty (20) hours per week (50% FTE) during the Fall and Spring semesters. Maximum appointment may be increased up to forty (40) hours per week (100% FTE) during the summer if funded by a grant.

Dr. Ahsan's Lab in the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at UTRGV will be immediately recruiting a motivated graduate (master's/PhD) student to start as early as Summer 2026. The selected candidate will work on a funded research project focused on developing novel alloys for energy applications in harsh environments using additive manufacturing. This research involves integrating computational modeling, machine learning, and experimental investigations to design and characterize new alloys and composites fabricated via laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing.

This work is closely woven into materials science, additive manufacturing, and machine learning realm, with applications in energy and extreme environments. The candidate will receive a monthly stipend and tuition support.

Discipline Specific

Required Qualifications

The Research Assistant assistantship award is available to master's and doctoral students who are assigned to a specific faculty member who is conducting research or a scholarly endeavor. Duties will vary depending on the project and assigned research/scholarly functions, or other creative aspects.

Preferred Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or Materials Science and Engineering

* Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science and Engineering (required for Ph.D. applicants)

* Experience with additive manufacturing, materials characterization, and/or physics-informed machine learning

* Proficiency in Python programming is preferred

Salary Commensurate with experience.

Number of Vacancies Multiple Desired Start Date 06/01/2026