Join | RAIN Lab

Join

At the RAIN Lab we work on many different problems, from learning and control to rockets, rovers and satellite networks. Some of them might interest you.

What we are working on now

    Life in the lab

    Students in the lab share their work with the wider community, presenting at venues such as the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), the American Control Conference (ACC) and AIAA SciTech.

    We are also a foodie lab. Potlucks, home-cooked dinners and the occasional hike to work up an appetite are part of how we spend time together outside of research.

    RAIN Lab members around a table of food at a lab dinnerLab members and Prof. Mesbahi at a home-cooked dinnerLab members on a hike with mountains behind them

    From the crew

    • I joined the lab because it is a highly professional and intelligent team that is also very open and inclusive.

      Ruiqi LiPh.D. student

    • What I value most about the RAIN Lab is its friendly atmosphere and the freedom to pursue the research questions that interest me.

      Shiva ShakeriPh.D. student

    • I love how interdisciplinary and connected the research we do in the RAIN Lab is. It gives me more insight into the world of autonomous control!

      Joalda MorancyPh.D. student

    • I lucked out finding a lab with the same varied set of theoretical interests as me, one that also applies them to the technology I find most exciting: satellites!

      Brendan GarwoodPh.D. student

    Questions

    Should I email Prof. Mesbahi before applying?

    Yes, please do. Reaching out early helps us learn about your interests and lets you ask questions about the lab before you apply.

    Do you take undergraduate researchers?

    Yes. Undergraduates are welcome to lead their own projects or to join one of the lab’s ongoing projects.

    Is funding available for Ph.D. students?

    Funding depends on current projects and changes from year to year. Please email Prof. Mesbahi to ask about availability.

    Do you host visiting students and researchers?

    Yes, visiting students and researchers are welcome.

    What background do I need?

    Lab members come from backgrounds in networks, robotics, aerospace engineering and mathematics. What matters most is a solid foundation in one of these areas and curiosity about the others.

    Interested in joining?

    Whether you are a prospective Ph.D. student, a UW undergraduate or M.S. student looking for research experience, or a postdoc or visiting researcher, email Prof. Mesbahi with your CV, a report on a project you have worked on, any publications, and a few lines on what you would like to work on.

    Prospective Ph.D. students should also apply through UW A&A graduate admissions and mention the RAIN Lab.

    mesbahi@uw.edu