A Message to Prospective Students
Thank you for taking the time to peruse the pages of the Laboratory
for Perceptual Robotics and my web pages. I am pleased that you are
interested in my research and the activities of my group here at
UMass. Due to the huge connectivity we enjoy on the web and the large
interest in the LPR (due to the incredible creativity of many students
like you) I receive an overwhelming number of inquiries from
prospective students who want to get involved. Unfortunately, there
are too many messages for me to respond personally to each one, so
please accept this reply as a response to my very limited bandwidth.
Cheers,
Rod Grupen
| Graduate
| Undergraduate
| High School/K-12
| Postdoctoral |
Prospective Graduate Students
Working with exceptional graduate students is the highlight of my job
here at UMass. The relationship is based on: (1) the negotiation of an
appealing fundamental research question; (2) the mastery of a body of
background literature; (3) the development of a strong technical
background that supports independent and innovative research; (4)
strong experimental tools and methods of empirical analysis; (5) and
the development of communication skills that support the presentation
and publication of research results. Success depends on a clear
emphasis on research and preparation for leadership in an
international community of researchers and educators. If you find
these objectives are consistent with your goals and you find the LPR's
approach to robotics compelling, then you should apply to UMass.
I am primarily interested in working with students that have are
interested in earning a Ph.D. Each January, we consider up to
800 applications for graduate study in our department for
approximately 30 graduate students. About 30 of the 800 mention a
desire to study in the LPR and we will accept between 1 and 3 new
roboticists each year depending on new grant activity and slots left
open by graduating PhD students. I look for students that write
thoughtful personal statements that speak to the agenda of the LPR,
that have interesting backgrounds and experiences, that receive
recommendations from trusted colleagues whose work I know, that have
demonstrated a mature approach to school, with good grades (and
acceptable GRE).
US citizens should apply for outside fellowships
(NSF,
NDSEG,
NASA).
This is one of the best approaches to graduate study because it
provides significantly more control to you in terms of your research
topic and agenda. Previous research experiences are very attractive and
publications are impressive if you have them. Most of all, I look for
students who are self motivated and willing to make mistakes often in
search of a "diamond in the rough."
I know your search for the right graduate program and Laboratory
affiliation is extremely important. I hope this page helps you to make
the right decision about whether UMass is right for you.
Prospective Undergraduate Researchers
Undergraduate research opportunities typically revolve around capstone
engineering projects, Research Experiences for Undergraduate ( REU )
program participants (summer), or honors projects. All participants
are elite students and come prepared for an immersive and aggressive
research experience. Projects are chosen that are critical pieces of
on-going sponsored grants and undergraduates participate in the full
life of the lab, including weekly lab meetings and presentations to
our robotics journal club.
Prospective High School Researchers
Sometimes extremely well motivated high school juniors or seniors ask
for a summer project in the lab. I usually agree to host a single
candidate for the summer if the right person comes along. Some of
these projects have been quite fruitful and some of our alumni have
gone onto great things! The position is never funded and HS interns
are typically mentored by a graduate student in my lab who has
volunteered to direct a project that may be related to their research.
Prospective Postdoctoral Fellows of the LPR
Postdoctoral fellows in my laboratory are hired for specific grant
funded positions. There are no such positions available in the LPR
unless there is a current posting on my web page or the
LPR web page.
These positions call for specific technical background and expertise
that will be outlined in the posting. In general, duties include
mentoring graduate students, some project management, and project
related research. Often, arrangements are made so that postdoctoral
fellows can launch an independent research program as well if that is
appropriate. Positions generally last from between 1 and 3 years.