The Interaction Lab is growing; we are recruiting new PhD students and postdocs! Read on for more details.

PhD Applicants

Students who are interested in human-robot interaction for socially assistive robotics are a good fit, as that is our area of research focus. All students are expected to do original PhD-level work that is computational in nature, but also involves real system integration on one or more robot platforms, and is evaluated with users in the real world. Most Interaction Lab PhD students have undergraduate research experience in robotics or related human-machine interaction.

Each academic year, on average, we recruit one or two new PhD students into my Interaction Lab from the top PhD students accepted into the Computer Science Department. Please read about the USC CS Department PhD program admissions process for more information. Admissions decisions are made by a CS PhD Admissions Committee, not by individual faculty. If you are interested in my lab, I recommend that you list my name as one of the three faculty names you can enter in the application form, and consider describing your interests and relevance to our research as part of your application essay. Once you have applied to the program, if you have questions about the lab, you can email me directly. However, for questions about your admission status, please contact the CS Department directly.

If you are very interested in the Interaction Lab but are applying to another USC Viterbi School department, please note that it is simplest to be advised by a faculty member in your own department. However, it is possible to work in the Interaction Lab and be a PhD student in another department in the Viterbi School of Engineering. Please note the nature of the research conducted in the lab and be sure that it fits your background and interests. If there is a good fit and you are strongly motivated to make it work, email me.

If you are a PhD student at USC already and interested in getting involved in the Interaction Lab robotics research, email me.

Postdoc Applicants

The Interaction Lab is currently looking for a postdoc with experience in HRI, ideally relevant to socially assistive robotics. The specific need is for people who can make computational contributions (algorithms, models, methods) to HRI and validate them in fully-integrated robotics systems. The emphasis is currently not on user studies as the main priority. Relevant candidates should apply through this form; and also email me.