Download and share flyer here: ICIC lab PhD RA 2026 Spring
ONE (1) PhD research assistant position is available in the Informatics, Cobots and Intelligent Construction (ICIC) lab at University of Florida, to investigate AI and autonomous drones. The expected start is Spring 2026. The student’s advisor will be Dr. Eric Jing Du. The student will pursue PhD in Civil Engineering under Dr.Du’s supervision. The work will be interdisciplinary by nature, spanning over AI, physics engine, robotics, and automation.
ICIC Lab (Du Lab) is located at Weil 360 on UF campus. The lab has three post-doctoral researchers, six PhD students, and several masters and undergraduate researchers. The lab’s research has been continuously supported by NASA, NSF, NIST and AFOSR. For more information about ICIC lab please refer to:
https://faculty.eng.ufl.edu/ericdu/
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
MS in Civil Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields. Other general admission requirements please refer to:
https://www.essie.ufl.edu/admissions/
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Interests and experiences related to the following academic areas:
1) AI (with previous experience or great interest in GenAI)
2) Game engine development
3) Robotics and Automation
ASSISTANTSHIP PACKAGE:
Competitive stipend, full tuition coverage, and healthcare. Expenses will be covered for research travels (conferences, data collections).
RESPONSIBILITIES:
To work on a project funded by NSF to study AI and its role in automation. Specific responsibilities include:
- To work with other PhD students on AI simulation environment development (Unity; C# preferred);
- To lead user studies about human-AI alignment;
- To lead and participate in disseminating the results via publications.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTION:
Please send your CV and a short research statement directly to Dr. Eric Jing Du at eric.du@essie.ufl.edu
CONTACT:
Eric Jing Du, Ph.D.
Director, Informatics, Cobots and Intelligent Construction (ICIC) Lab
UF Research Foundation Professor
Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (graduate faculty)
Department of Industrial and System Engineering
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
University of Florida
Email: eric.du@essie.ufl.edu
https://faculty.eng.ufl.edu/ericdu/
The University of Florida is one of 62 elected member institutions of the Association of American Universities (AAU). The university is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation For 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked UF as the 30th university (7th best public university) in the United States.