Research Engineer - Autonomous Systems & Control

Hiring Department:
Oden Institute

Position Open To:
All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled

Hours:

40

FLSA Status:
Exempt from FLSA

Earliest

Start Date:

Nov 01, 2026

Position Duration:
Expected to Continue Until Oct 31, 2027

Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

The Oden Institute is an organized research unit that fosters interdisciplinary programs in computational sciences and engineering, computational medicine, computational geosciences, mathematical modeling, applied mathematics, data science, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and computational visualization. The University of Texas at Austin is a nationally ranked, tier-one research institution and one of the largest employers in central Texas. UT is located in the heart of Austin, a vibrant city that frequently appears on lists of best cities to live and work.

Committed to recruiting and retaining a varied and talented workforce, the university offers competitive salaries and benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education and public service.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
• Retirement contributions
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered. Must be eligible to work in the US on a full-time basis. This position is fixed term and my be renewed annually contingent upon funding availability and satisfactory performance.

We are seeking a talented Research Engineer to join our team. You will contribute to multiple research initiatives, including the DARPA CyPhER Forge program, where you will lead the design and development of information-aware trajectory planning and control algorithms for autonomous aircraft systems. Beyond this core focus, you will contribute to a broader portfolio of autonomous systems projects spanning robotics, optimization, and learning-based control methods.

• Develop and implement trajectory planning algorithms for autonomous aircraft that optimize information gathering while respecting vehicle dynamics and operational safety constraints
• Design robust control strategies that bridge the gap between idealized models and real-world multiphysics phenomena
• Integrate trajectory planning with control design to enable efficient model discovery and uncertainty reduction
• Develop and maintain large-scale software systems for autonomous systems research and deployment
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to validate algorithms through simulation, robot hardware, and experimental platforms
• Publish research findings and present results at technical conferences
• Contribute to program milestones and deliverables, including DARPA CyPhER Forge

• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Control Systems, Robotics, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent industry experience)
• Strong background in control, trajectory optimization, and machine learning
• Experience with aircraft dynamics, flight control systems, and/or autonomous vehicle control
• Demonstrated experience developing large software projects (>10,000 lines of code) in relevant programming languages (Python, C++, or similar)
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work in collaborative environments

• Familiarity with Robot Operating System (ROS) and experience with robot hardware/software integration and testing
• Experience with active learning or information-theoretic approaches to optimization, learning, and/or control
• Experience with physics-based vehicle modeling
• Prior DARPA program experience
• Publication record in top-tier venus

$120,000-$150,000

May work around standard office conditions Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation Use of manual dexterity Required

Resume/CV 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Letter of interest

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.