Electro-Optical Graduate Research Assistant Spring 2026

Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

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Job Description

This job is for a Graduate Research Assistant position (GRA) to work in the Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems Division (EISD) within the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) for the Spring 2026 semester.

The candidate will work with teams on projects which identify novel Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensing modalities, analyze and develop prototype optical systems and associated electronics and algorithms, and identify electro-optical hardware/software components (lenses, telescopes, modulators, detectors, amplifiers, computing architectures, etc.) required to implement the aforementioned systems.

EISD specializes in the complete optical imaging and remote sensing chain, from the analysis, design, development, integration, test and evaluation of imaging and sensing systems, to the processing, exploitation, and visualization of data and imagery. Upon completion of the initial design, EOSID researchers integrate various optical sensors (UV/Vis/IR) to include cameras, lidar systems, ultrasonics, environmental imagers and instruments, and RF antennas on a multitude of manned and unmanned platforms such as UAVs, high altitude balloons, airplanes, helicopters, robotic applications, and numerous ground station applications. EISD makes critical contributions to national defense in the domains of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), Directed Energy (DE), and Under Sea Warfare (USW).

Required Minimum Qualifications

Graduate Research Assistant

• Pursuing a Master’s degree or PhD at Georgia Tech in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Imaging Science, or related field
• Must be enrolled (12+ credit hours)
• Must have a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA
• Commit to 15-20 hours of work per week

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing algorithms using one or more of the following: C/C++, Python, and/or MATLAB
• Strong math skills and ability to learn complex engineering concepts
• Ability to clearly communicate technical ideas
• Experience working in an optics or applied optics related field
• Experience with design, development, and integration of optical systems
• Experience developing image processing and/or computer vision algorithms
• Experience with lidar and/or remote sensing instrumentation
• Experience modeling and simulating orbital bodies

Hours per Week

20 hours per week

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the US federal government, candidates for this position are required to be US Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Housing and Relocation

Housing and relocation assistance are not available for this position.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful