Prospective Students

I will be joining as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in Fall 2025 and am currently recruiting Ph.D. students for Spring 2026 and Fall 2026.

P.S. I am also actively looking for highly motivated undergraduate and master's students who meet some of the following criteria and are interested in research opportunities.

I'm looking for students who:

• Are self-motivated with a passion for research and interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in robotics, controls, and autonomous systems
• Have strong fundamentals in robotics kinematics and dynamics
• Have strong mathematical fundamentals (linear algebra, calculus, differential equations, probability, etc.)
• Have solid programming skills in C/C++, Python, MATLAB or similar languages
• Have solid experience in hardware design using CAD software (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, etc.) with hands-on prototyping and experimental testing
• Have hands-on research and/or industry experience in robotics, controls, machine learning, and/or autonomous systems

If you meet these criteria and are interested in potential opportunities, please reach out to me via email at jkim16@utep.edu with the subject line "Prospective PhD Student" (or "Prospective Master's/undergraduate Student") and include:

Required Materials:

• Your resume/CV
• A brief paragraph describing your research interests and what aspects of my research aligns with yours

Optional Materials:

• A brief paragraph about your background and experience in robotics, control systems, and/or machine learning. If applicable, please mention any experience you have with programming languages such as C/C++, Python, or MATLAB, as well as robotics frameworks like ROS and hardware development including CAD design. Note that prior experience in these areas isn't required, but sharing what you do have helps me understand your current skill level and tailor our work accordingly.
• Any supporting materials (publications, project portfolios, GitHub repos, or other examples of your work) that demonstrate your skills and experience