research opportunities
Undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. research opportunities in AI and machine learning at the ARIA Research Lab at NJIT, directed by Dr. Shivvrat Arya.
📝 Ready to apply? Submit your details using the Google Form. Email may be missed—form submissions are reviewed regularly.
Join our lab
We are the ARIA Research Lab in the Department of Computer Science at NJIT. Students in the lab contribute to research in artificial intelligence and machine learning, working toward rigorous and increasingly independent contributions.
Ph.D. Students
We are recruiting motivated Ph.D. students to work on the lab’s core research directions in AI and machine learning. We are currently seeking up to two funded Ph.D. students for Fall 2026/Spring 2027, with support through research or teaching assistantships.
- Applicants should have a strong background in AI, machine learning, or related areas and a clear interest in research.
- Prospective students must apply through the NJIT Graduate Admissions portal and are encouraged to mention the lab and relevant research interests in their Statement of Purpose.
- Visiting scholars interested in collaborating with the lab are also welcome to reach out.
Undergraduate and M.S. Students
Undergraduate and M.S. students are encouraged to participate in sustained research projects mentored by Dr. Arya and aligned with the lab’s research directions. Students can gain experience formulating research questions, developing and evaluating methods, conducting experiments, and contributing to active research projects.
Research credit may be available when an appropriate project and supervision are available. Our goal is to help committed students progress toward increasingly independent and technically rigorous research. When project results are sufficiently strong, students may have the opportunity to contribute to submissions to leading research conferences or journals.
See undergraduate and M.S. research opportunities for detailed course pathways and guidance on getting involved.
| Â | Â |
|---|---|
| University | NJIT (R1), Newark, NJ |
| Start date | Fall 2026/Spring 2027 |
| Ph.D. funding | RA/TA (2 fully funded positions + self-funded) |
| MS/Undergrad | Research credit available |
Open research projects
| Project | Levels | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Neurosymbolic AI | Ph.D. lead, MS, undergrad | Integrate symbolic reasoning with deep learning for transparent, interpretable AI systems. |
| Neural combinatorial optimization | Ph.D. lead, MS, undergrad | Build neural solvers for discrete and graph-structured optimization problems. |
| DRL for graph optimization | MS, undergrad | Apply deep reinforcement learning to graph-based combinatorial optimization problems. |
| Applications of neurosymbolic methods | All levels | Apply neurosymbolic methods to vision, video understanding, and multimodal reasoning. |
What you’ll do
- Prototype novel algorithms and run ablations at scale.
- Build reliable, reproducible research pipelines.
- Design experiments, interpret results, and iterate.
- Apply methods to vision/video and multimodal tasks.
- Develop technically strong results that may be submitted to strong or top-tier AI/ML venues when the work warrants it.
What you’ll bring
Essential
- Strong ML/AI fundamentals.
- Python + PyTorch/JAX (optionally PyTorch Geometric).
- Background in algorithms and probability.
- Good software practices (git, testing, reproducibility).
Nice to have
- Neurosymbolic AI or symbolic reasoning.
- Combinatorial/constrained optimization.
- Deep reinforcement learning.
- Graphical models and probabilistic circuits.
Lab resources
- Funding: Fully funded Ph.D. (RA/TA), research credit for MS/undergrad.
- Compute: University Wulver GPU cluster + lab GPUs.
- Mentorship: Direct guidance in developing rigorous research contributions, with the possibility of submissions to venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, KDD, and CIKM when results are ready.
Why NJIT
- Ranked #72 in the U.S. for AI & Machine Learning (CSRankings).
- Ranked #80 Graduate School for Computer Science (U.S. News & World Report).
- Ranked #84 among National Universities and #42 among Top Public Universities (U.S. News & World Report).
- Located in Newark, NJ—part of the NYC metropolitan area, ~30 minutes from Manhattan with strong industry connections.
FAQ
Q: Should I email you directly?
A: No—please use the Google Form. Emails are often missed, but form submissions are reviewed regularly.
Q: Do I need publications to apply?
A: Not required, but helpful. We value demonstrated research potential and strong fundamentals.
Q: Can international students apply?
A: Yes. Ph.D. positions are fully funded regardless of citizenship.
Q: What’s the application timeline?
A: We review applications on a rolling basis. Apply early for best consideration.
Ready to apply?
Submit your details via the Google Form.
For Ph.D. applications, also apply through NJIT admissions and mention my name in your Statement of Purpose.