Join Us

We are hiring new graduate students to begin in Fall of 2025.

Interested in the LEAF lab?

We are regularly looking for excellent students and researchers to work with at many levels of experience: Postdocs, Ph.D., research-oriented Master’s students, and undergraduates. Our lab is a welcoming, intellectually vibrant environment working to solve some of the most interesting and critical research problems in the fields of robotics and machine learning.

Please read this page first before contacting the PI directly.

Prospective Ph.D. and M.A.Sc. students

These are research-intensive programs, with coursework to supplement students’ research development. Apply through the UTIAS graduate admissions website. Mention the PI’s name in your application if you’re interested in working together. Both programs are research-intensive. Applicants with all academic backgrounds (especially, but not limited to, CS and Machine Learning backgrounds) are encouraged to apply.

Ph.D. applicants

This program primarily involves research and will train you to be a successful and independent scientist in our fields of research. Applicants with all academic backgrounds (especially, but not limited to, CS and Machine Learning backgrounds) are encouraged to apply. Applicants may enter the PhD program via one of two routes: 1) following completion of an MASc degree in engineering, mathematics, physics, or chemistry; or 2) transfer from the University of Toronto MASc program. If you do not yet have a Master’s degree, you should apply to the M.A.Sc. program, or, if you have an exceptional record, please discuss with me directly, as exceptions are possible (but rare). After twelve months in the M.A.Sc. program, it is possible for particularly strong students to transfer directly to the Ph.D. program. See the coursework details section below for details on the relatively small amount of coursework involved.

M.A.Sc. applicants

This is a research-intensive program that serves as a stepping-stone to prepare you for Ph.D.-level research. Applicants with all academic backgrounds (especially, but not limited to, CS and Machine Learning backgrounds) are encouraged to apply. See the coursework details section below for details on the relatively small amount of coursework involved.

Coursework details

For both Ph.D. and M.A.Sc. programs, note that 2 of the 4 required courses must be classified as Robotics (ROB) or Aerospace (AER), which involves a broad set of robotics, computer science, and machine learning topics. The remainder of your courses can be chosen in coordination with your advisor to help you hone your knowledge of topics relevant to your research. See the Robotics course list here. You can learn more about program-specific information here, including the precise program requirements. Again, the primary focus of these programs is to train you to be a successful and independent scientist in our fields of research.

Current Ph.D. and M.A.Sc. students in other labs

Send us an email with your CV and a description of your research interests. Please mention how your interests overlap with our past work or future direction. We encourage people with all educational backgrounds to apply.

Visiting Ph.D. and M.A.Sc. students

Send us an email with your CV and a description of your research interests. Please mention how your interests overlap with our past work or future direction. We encourage people with all educational backgrounds to apply.

Current undergraduates at the University of Toronto

Send us an email with your CV and a description of your project/research interests. Typically, we will expect you to have taken a Robotics, Machine Learning, or Computer Vision-related course. Regardless, we encourage people with all backgrounds to apply.

Summer opportunties for undergraduates

There are usually a few slots for undergraduates to work with us in the summer. If you think you might be a good fit, please let us know. Note that the best route to a summer internship is through getting involved with our lab well beforehand. There are also a variety of fellowships for undergraduates that we can point you to. Obtaining one of these fellowships increases your chances.

Remote collaborators

We sometimes collaborate remotely with excellent students and researchers who have sufficient relevant experience. Send us an email with your CV and a description of your project/research interests. Please mention how your interests overlap with our past work or future direction. We encourage people with all educational backgrounds to apply.

Our Email

Please note that the absence of a response does not mean we are not interested (especially in the case of graduate student applicants). In the case of graduate student applicatns, please ensure to mention the LEAF lab and the PI’s name in your application, and rest assured that we will consider it.