Graduate Research/Teaching Assistantship

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly motivated Ph.D. student to join the Human Lab in Spring 2026 to work at the intersection of physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), teleoperation, and physiological signal processing. This position is ideal for candidates passionate about robotic manipulation and human-in-the-loop control systems. The position is fully funded with a stipend of $2400 per month through a Graduate Research/Teaching Assistantship.

About OSU:
Oklahoma State University (OSU) is a top-ranked R1 public land-grant research university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Ranked #1 in the state for both Best Value and Best Academics (Niche, 2024), OSU attracts a diverse student body from across the U.S. and around the world. The Stillwater campus is home to approximately 73% of OSU's 36,000+ students. The city of Stillwater is a vibrant community of about 50,000 residents, located just 60 miles from both Tulsa and Oklahoma City. It is easily accessible by highway, and the Stillwater Regional Airport offers daily flights to Dallas.

About Dr. Hemanth Manjunatha:

Dr. Hemanth Manjunatha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State University and the Director of the Intelligent Human-Machine Nexus (iHuman) Lab.

He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Engineering, India, in 2014, and completed both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2021, specializing in neuro-physiological computing and machine learning for HRI and human-swarm interaction.

Before joining OSU, Dr. Manjunatha was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Aerospace Engineering. His work focused on enhancing the safety and reliability of deep neural network-based learning architectures for autonomous systems through formal verification and real-time monitoring. His current research continues to focus on developing safe and adaptive learning systems in human-machine interaction.

Research Focus:

The Ph.D. student will lead research on enabling safe and intuitive physical human-robot interaction using physiological signals such as EMG, EEG, heart rate, and skin conductance. The focus will be on combining multimodal sensing using deep learning to infer user intent and cognitive state to adapt robot behavior in real time. The work includes shared autonomy, teleoperation, and imitation learning for fine manipulation tasks. Applications include assistive robotics, space-robotics, and human-in-the-loop control systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications:

* B.S/M.S. in Robotics, ME, Computer Science, EE, or related field.
* Background in deep learning and signal processing.
* Solid coding skills in Python or C++.
* Prior research/publications in robotics, HRI, or physiological computing.

Bonus Qualifications:

* Hands-on experience with robot manipulation, teleoperation, or pHRI studies
* Experience with physiological signal (e.g., EMG, EEG, eye tracking, HRV) processing
* Familiarity with ROS

To Apply:
Please email the following materials to us with the subject:
"Ph.D. Application - pHRI Spring 2026"
* Your CV
* A brief statement of interest
* Transcript (unofficial is fine)
* Any relevant work samples (e.g., code repos, videos, publications)
Deadline: Applications reviewed on a rolling basis until filled. Early submission is encouraged.

College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology
Hemanth Manjunatha
Assistant Professor
333 Engineering South
Stillwater, OK 74074
Phone: 405-744-1708
Funded Ph.D. Position: Physical Human-Robot Interaction using Physiological Signals
Start Date: Spring 2026 (January)