We are always interested in outstanding students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators who are excited about safety-critical autonomy at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and control.

Current Openings

The following positions are actively recruiting. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis unless otherwise stated.

Postdoctoral Researcher — Safety in Foundation Model–Enabled Robotics

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work on safety across the lifecycle of foundation model–enabled robotic systems, including validation, monitoring, verification, and safety-aware learning. Please see the full position description & application link here.

PhD Students

We are anticipating hiring multiple PhD students in the 2025-2026 admission cycle. In addition to our ongoing work on safe learning for robotics and autonomous systems, we are also particularly excited to explore new directions at the intersection of AI safety and control, including:

• Safety and Alignment in Foundation and Generative Models
• Training, Monitoring, and Validation for Safe Foundation-Model-Enabled Robotics
• Safe Learning and Control for Aviation and Space Systems

Prospective students should apply to the AA PhD program. Please follow the guidelines for prospective PhD students here here.

General Opportunities

In addition to the current openings listed above, the Safe and Intelligent Autonomy Lab is always interested in connecting with outstanding researchers and students whose interests align with our work. These opportunities are not tied to a specific advertised position and may depend on funding availability, timing, and mutual research fit.

Due to the high volume of general inquiries, please follow the instructions on this page before reaching out by email. Doing so will help ensure that your inquiry can be reviewed and responded to in a timely manner. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Specific Research Questions

If you are reaching out with specific technical research questions about papers and projects in the lab (regardless of whether you are applying), please feel free to email me at any point, with a subject line including the words research question. This will help me ensure that your email is sorted separately so that I can address your technical questions promptly. You may receive a faster response if you also email/CC the graduate student(s) listed on the paper(s), as they tend to have a lower volume of emails.

Prospective PhD Students

Prospective graduate students are encouraged to apply to the AA PhD program (the deadline is typically in mid-December). In your application, please make sure to mention me (Somil Bansal) under the faculties of interest. Please note that the admissions at Stanford are coordinated at the department level through an admission committee so, unfortunately, I will not be able to help with any admission-specific requests/questions/application review. Please direct them to aa-admissions@stanford.edu.

I read and take note of all emails. Because of the large volume of emails, I am not able to respond to individual emails. However, I encourage you to reach out to me after the application has been submitted. Please include your CV and 2-3 sentences about your research interests, projects, or papers that you like. I encourage you to read our most recent papers and think of which aspect of my research excites you the most. The students who are applying for/or have received fellowships are of particular interest. Please see the section below on some fellowship options for graduate students.

Prospective MS Students

Please apply to the Stanford MS program. I would love to chat more about potential research collaborations after you have been admitted.

Prospective Postdoctoral Scholars

Excellent postdoctoral candidates are encouraged to contact me with the following information:

• academic CV and publication list
• description of past and future research interests
• names and contact information of 2 academic references.

I am happy to work with you to obtain external funding for your postdoctoral research. An extensive list of postdoctoral funding opportunities can be found on the UC Berkeley website.

Current UG/MS Students, Visiting Students, and Interns

Typically, Master's and undergraduate students join existing projects and work directly with a PhD student, with the expectation that eventually, they will be leading their own projects. If you are interested in joining/visiting our lab, please send me an email with the following information and we will get back to you if there is a fit:

• CV
• UG and graduate (if applicable) transcripts
• A brief description of why you are interested in the lab, and which research projects in the lab interested you and why.
• Experience and background (if any) in ML, control, and/or robotics. Note that experience is not necessary, but knowing your background can help with finding a fit.
• Experience (if any) with Python, training deep networks, ROS, and/or working with real hardware. Again, experience is not required.
• Duration of the position/visit. Please also indicate whether you are looking for a funded or a non-funded/externally funded position.

If you are a Stanford undergraduate or MS student, I strongly encourage you to take AA276 (Principles of Safety-Critical Autonomy) first. This course provides essential background for research in the SIA Lab and is a common pathway for students who later join the lab. Many of the MS researchers in the lab have come through this course.

Other Resources

Fellowship options for graduate students

Postdoctoral fellowship options