Recruit

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine invites applications for two Postdoctoral Scholar positions.

Professor Yu Otsuki is seeking two Postdoctoral Scholars to conduct research on the two topics listed below. These positions offer a unique opportunity to develop and evaluate autonomy technologies for real-world construction machinery as large-scale robotic systems, with access to real-world sensor and machine-operation data through close collaboration with industry partners.

Topic 1: Autoware-Based Off-Road Autonomous Driving for Construction Vehicles: From Modular to End-to-End Autonomy
This topic focuses on developing autonomous driving technologies for large construction vehicles operating in off-road environments.

Responsibilities:
• Pursue research on off-road autonomous driving for large construction vehicles using real-world field data, with a focus on 1) first establishing a robust modular autonomy architecture for off-road unstructured environments and 2) subsequently advancing toward learning-based end-to-end autonomy.
• Conduct research in areas aligned with project priorities, including, but not limited to, perception, planning, localization, sensor calibration, multimodal learning, and other related off-road autonomous driving technologies.

Topic 2: Next-Generation Autonomy Technologies for Earthmoving Operations with Heterogeneous Construction Machinery
This topic focuses on developing next-generation autonomy technologies for earthmoving operations involving dozers, excavators, and other construction machinery.

Responsibilities:
• Pursue research directions aligned with project priorities, including, but not limited to, end-to-end autonomy for excavators and dozers, optimization of dozer earthmoving planning, and multi-fleet coordination of heterogeneous construction machinery.

Additional responsibilities for both topics include:
• Develop, implement, and evaluate algorithms using real-world construction-vehicle data, and integrate research outcomes into the relevant software stack.
• Collaborate closely with engineers at industry partners and with researchers at UCI’s Center for Resilient Autonomous Systems. Mentor and guide UCI students involved in the research.
• Disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed conference and journal publications and technical presentations.

Preferred qualifications:
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: autonomous driving, construction machinery, off-road mobile robotics, perception, machine learning, or multi-agent systems.
• Proficiency in ROS2, Python, C++, and Git.

Anticipated Start Date: As early as mutually agreed upon.
This is a full-time, on-site appointment at UCI for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of renewal based on funding availability and performance.
Application Deadline: Open until filled.

About the Principal Investigator:
Dr. Yu Otsuki joined the University of California, Irvine (UCI) as an Assistant Professor in July 2026. He is establishing the Laboratory for Autonomy and Robotics in Construction in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is also an affiliated faculty member of UCI’s Center for Resilient Autonomous Systems.
For questions, please contact yu.otsuki@uci.edu
Lab website: Laboratory for Autonomy and Robotics in Construction

About UCI’s Center for Resilient Autonomous Systems
The Center for Resilient Autonomous Systems at UCI’ Henry Samueli School of Engineering, was established to pursue interdisciplinary research to advance the frontiers of autonomous systems. Its vision is to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning with cyber-physical-human systems and robotics to create the foundations of future autonomous systems engineering.

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.
  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.