Join the lab
How people join depends on where you are now. Choose the option that fits you.
Apply to Michigan
Applications go through the department. Emailing Ram is optional. If you do, follow the format below: a clear, specific email stands out.
- 1
Apply by December 1
To the Robotics PhD or the Mechanical Engineering PhD. Admissions decisions are made by the department, not by Ram alone.
- 2
If you'd like, email Ram
Use the Email button on Ram's page to get his address. Send one email with this subject line and the three things below.PhD Fall 2027: Your Name
What to put in the email
A research pitch
Half a page at most: a specific problem, the gap in current work, why it matters, and how you might approach it. It shows how you frame a problem. It's not a commitment.
Fit
One or two of our papers or projects, and how your interest connects to them.
Your CV
Plus links to any papers, code, or projects you want Ram to see.
Apply through a posting
You're welcome to email Ram, but we generally bring students on when a specific project needs one. That goes for paid positions, volunteer work, and independent study alike.
- 1
Join the jobs list
Sign up for your department's list, such as robotics-jobs, at mcommunity.umich.edu. If it is closed to you, ask your student services office.
- 2
Watch for an opening
When a project needs someone, our PhD students post it there. Openings tend to appear near the start and end of each term.
- 3
Apply to the posting
The PhD students interview everyone who looks like a good fit.
The best way in is to apply through a posting. That's where every application gets a full look.
Tell us what you'd lead
Email Ram with three things.
Your CV
With links to your papers and code.
Your best two
The two papers or systems you are proudest of.
A project to lead
A short description of what you'd want to lead here, and how it connects to our work.
Only through a current project
We host a few visiting students and scholars, usually through an existing collaboration or when a current project needs help. Visits from outside the US take a lot of paperwork, so we cannot accommodate most requests.
