Prospective Students

Xusheng Luo · IRTA Lab · NC State University (starting Fall 2026)

I am actively looking for motivated Ph.D. students to join the lab starting in Spring 2027 or Fall 2027. I am also happy to hear from strong M.S. and undergraduate students who are interested in research opportunities.

Students with backgrounds in robotics, control, machine learning, optimization, formal methods, computer vision, embodied AI, or related areas are especially encouraged to apply.

What I Am Looking For

I am looking for students who are curious, self-motivated, and excited about building both rigorous algorithms and real robotic systems. Prior research experience is helpful but not required. More importantly, I value strong problem-solving skills, clear communication, intellectual honesty, and a willingness to learn.

A strong applicant may have experience in one or more of the following areas:

Robot planning & control Reinforcement learning Imitation learning LLMs / VLMs for robotics Formal methods & temporal logic Verification & safety Optimization & graph search Task and motion planning Multi-robot systems Simulation Python / C++ / MATLAB

You do not need experience in all of these areas. Students from mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, aerospace engineering, applied mathematics, and related disciplines are welcome.

How to Contact Me

If you are interested in joining the IRTA Lab, please email me at xushengl@andrew.cmu.edu or xusheng.luo2@gmail.com with the subject line:

Prospective Ph.D. Student — [Your Name]

Please include in your email:

Your CV or resume
Your transcript, if available
A brief description of your research interests
Why you are interested in the IRTA Lab
One or two representative projects, papers, or code samples, if available
Your intended start term (Spring 2027 or Fall 2027)

Due to the volume of emails, I may not be able to respond to every inquiry. However, I carefully review emails from students whose interests closely match the lab's research directions.

Applying

Prospective students should apply through the official graduate admissions process of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State University.

In your application, you are welcome to mention the Intelligent Robotics and Trustworthy Autonomy (IRTA) Lab and my name as a potential advisor.

Application Deadlines

For Ph.D. applicants, the MAE department currently lists the regular application deadline as:

Start Term	Ph.D. Deadline
Fall 2027	December 15, 2026
Spring 2027	Not listed for regular Ph.D. admission

For Master's applicants, the currently listed MAE deadlines are:

Applicant Type	Fall Start	Spring Start
International applicants, including those already in the U.S.	March 1	July 15
U.S. citizens and permanent residents	June 1	November 1

Applicants should always check the official NCSU MAE and Graduate School websites for the most up-to-date deadlines and requirements.

Lab Culture

The IRTA Lab aims to build a collaborative, rigorous, and supportive research environment. Students will be encouraged to:

Develop independent research taste
Publish high-quality papers
Build real robotic systems
Collaborate across disciplines
Prepare for future careers in academia, industry, or national labs

I care deeply about mentoring and will work with students to develop both technical depth and professional skills, including research communication, paper writing, presentation, collaboration, and long-term career planning.

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