PhD in
Doctor of Philosophy in Robotics
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence - MBZUAI
Key Information
Campus location
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
Request info
Application deadline
31 Mar 2024*
Earliest start date
Aug 2024
* deadline for international students/deadline for UAE nationals: May 30th, 2024 | Application start date: Sep 1st, 2023
* no tuition fees + scholarship
Introduction
The goal of the Ph.D. program in Robotics is to prepare the next generation of world-class researchers, industry leaders, academics, and educators in the field of robotics and autonomous systems. As a research-oriented degree, the Ph.D. in Robotics focuses on human-centered and autonomous robotics research and prepares exceptional students for careers at the cutting edge of academia, industry, and government. Our world-leading robotics researchers, students and industry partners collaborate to advance discoveries in various aspects of robotics, such as perception and applied machine learning, human-robot interaction, cognitive and soft robotics, and swarm intelligence. Ph.D. students in Robotics enjoy the unique experience of conducting world-class research with the state-of-the-art equipment and under the guidance of internationally renowned experts.
Alumni Statistics
Admissions
Curriculum
The minimum degree requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy in Robotics is 60 credits, distributed as follows:
| Core courses | Number of courses | Credit hours |
| Core | 4 | 16 |
| Electives | 2 | 8 |
| Advanced Research Methods | 1 | 2 |
| Research thesis | 1 | 32 |
| Internship | At least one internship of up to four months’ duration must be satisfactorily completed as a graduation requirement | 2 |
Core courses
The Doctor of Philosophy in Robotics is primarily a research-based degree. The purpose of coursework is to equip students with the right skill set, so they can accomplish their research project (thesis). Students are required to take ROB801, ROB802, ROB803, and ROB804 as mandatory courses.
| Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| ROB801 | Advanced Robotic Motion Planning | 4 |
| ROB802 | Advanced topics in Robotics: Multi-Robot Systems | 4 |
| ROB803 | Advanced Humanoid Robotics | 4 |
| ROB804 | Vision for Autonomous Robotics | 4 |
Elective courses
Students will select a minimum of two elective courses, with a total of eight (or more) credit hours. The choice of electives must be selected based on interest, proposed research thesis, and career aspirations, in consultation with their supervisory panel. The elective courses available for the Doctor of Philosophy in Robotics are listed in the tables below:
| Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| ML806 | Advanced Topics in Reinforcement Learning | 4 |
| ML807 | Federated Learning | 4 |
| ML808 | Advanced Topics on Causality and Machine Learning | 4 |
| CV804 | 3D Geometry Processing | 4 |
| NLP801 | Deep Learning for Language Processing | 4 |
| NLP802 | Current Topics in Natural Language Processing | 4 |
| NLP803 | Advanced Speech Processing | 4 |
| NLP804 | Deep Learning for Natural Language Generation | 4 |
Research thesis
The Ph.D. thesis exposes students to cutting-edge and unsolved research problems in the field of robotics, where they are required to propose new solutions and significantly contribute to the body of knowledge. Students pursue an independent research study, under the guidance of a supervisory panel, for a period of three to four years.
| Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| ROB899 | Robotics Ph.D. Research Thesis | 32 |
Gallery
Program Outcome
By the end of this program, students will be able to:
- Analyze a problem and apply an appropriate selection of advanced methods in robotics and autonomous systems
- Design and integrate advanced software and hardware to realize autonomous robotic solutions, in teams and individually
- Critically evaluate the practical and entrepreneurial feasibility for innovations in multi-robot systems, robotics, and autonomous systems across a range of sustainable applications
- Review and critically appraise current research topics, problems, and challenges within robotics and autonomous systems
- Discover, interpret, and communicate new knowledge orally and through novel research of top-tier publishable quality
Rankings
CS Rankings in a Glance
- 20th in the field of AI in CS Rankings globally
- 28th in the field of ML in CS Rankings globally
- 27th in the field of CV in CS Rankings globally
- 24th in the field of NLP in CS Rankings globally
Career Opportunities
AI is permeating every industry. At recent employer engagement events at MBZUAI, there has been representation from multiples sectors including (but not limited to):
- Aviation, consultancy, education, energy, finance, government entities, healthcare, media, oil and gas, security and defense, research institutes, retail, telecommunications, transportation and logistics, and startups.
Recent job opportunities advertised via the MBZUAI Student Careers Portal include (but not limited to):
- AI solution architect, AI solution engineer, algorithmic engineer, data analyst, data engineer, data scientist, data strategy consultant, full stack software engineer, full stack web developer, predictive analytics researcher, and senior data scientist – consultant.
Other career opportunities could include (but not limited to):
- Applied scientist, analytics engineer, augmented/virtual reality, autonomous cars, biometrics and forensics, chief data officer, data platform leadership, data journalist, data and AI technical sales specialist, growth analytics / engineers, manager: AI and cloud services planning, machine learning engineers, product manager: AI and data analytics, product data scientist, product analyst, remote sensing, research assistants, security and surveillance, senior software engineer, and VP data.