Summary:
The IDEAS Lab at the University of Michigan is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to develop next-generation agentic AI frameworks for aerospace systems research. The position focuses on AI-assisted, verifiable computational workflows connecting aircraft design models, optimization tools, simulations, and human expertise.
Postdoctoral Researcher Position in Agentic AI for Aerospace Systems Design and Optimization, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Designation: Postdoctoral Researcher
Research Area:
- Agentic AI
- AI-augmented aerospace systems design and engineering
- Scientific machine learning
- Applications of AI in MDAO, MBSE, and workflow automation
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA (In-person)
Eligibility/Qualification:
- Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Computational Science, Applied Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, or related fields
- Strong programming skills, especially Python
- Experience in developing research software, computational workflows, AI/ML systems, or simulation/optimization tools
- Familiarity with computational modeling, optimization, simulation workflows, scientific machine learning, or AI agents
- Interest in verification, validation, reproducibility, and scientific error checking
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Research productivity demonstrated through publications, software, or project artifacts
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with LLM-enabled or agentic AI systems, tool-using agents, RAG systems, workflow automation, or AI-assisted coding/research tools
- Knowledge of research software engineering practices (testing, packaging, APIs, documentation, CI/CD)
- Experience in computational design, optimization, surrogate modeling, systems engineering, or scientific machine learning
- Familiarity with aerospace design tools (FAST, Aviary, OpenMDAO, OpenVSP), aircraft conceptual/preliminary design, propulsion system modeling, MBSE/SysML
- HPC, SLURM, containerization, local/open-source LLM deployment, vector databases, embeddings, or knowledge graphs
Job Description:
- Develop agentic AI workflows for aerospace systems design, analysis, optimization, and research automation
- Build reusable software infrastructure linking AI agents with aircraft design models, simulation tools, optimization workflows, knowledge repositories, and verification routines
- Create knowledge-retrieval, benchmarking, and verification procedures for correctness, reproducibility, and traceability of AI-assisted workflows
- Collaborate with students and researchers to support publications, sponsored projects, proposals, and high-quality software practices
How to Apply:
Email the following to Prof. Gökçin Çınar at cinar@umich.edu with subject line:
“Postdoc Application – Agentic AI – [Your Name]”
- Resume/CV
- Statement of purpose (max 1 page) explaining fit for the position
- Names and contact information of three references
- 2–3 select papers and/or software/project examples relevant to the research topics
Include your current work authorization status and visa requirements.
Last Date to Apply: Open until filled
Additional Information:
- Background checks required upon acceptance of contingent offer
- University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer
