New Members & Collaborators

We are looking for motivated students and recent graduates who want to develop the next generation of Physical AI for the built world: AI methods that can perceive, simulate, reason about and act within complex infrastructure and construction environments.

Our research addresses fundamental and unresolved challenges in creating infrastructure systems that are sustainable, resilient, efficient and safe. We are particularly interested in developing generalisable methods that combine data-driven AI with first-principles engineering physics, and testing these methods in challenging real-world settings across civil infrastructure, construction, asset monitoring, autonomous systems and digital twins. We are currently accepting applications for PhD positions, visiting positions and internships. Postdoctoral opportunities are advertised separately.

Applicants should have a strong background in one or more relevant areas such as mathematics, physics, engineering, statistics, computer science, information engineering, AI, robotics, computer vision, mechanics, numerical modelling or related fields. Candidates are normally expected to have a first class honours degree or equivalent. We do not expect successful applicants to already have a background in infrastructure or construction; we welcome candidates from a broad range of technical disciplines who are excited to apply their skills to the built world.

The scope of our work is flexible and wide-ranging. Projects may contribute to one or more of the research themes described on the “research” page of this website.

The successful candidate(s) will join CIRI (Centre for Infrastructure Research and Innovation), located in Galway, Ireland and will work in a vibrant multidisciplinary team.

To apply: please send your CV, including details of your academic record, and a 1-page research proposal to Brian Sheil (brian.b.sheil@universityofgalway.ie). Please specify your ranking within your cohort for each degree (e.g. ranked X out of Y students). For PhD applications, you will also need to apply separately for admission through the University’s Graduate Admissions application portal.