Join Us
If you are an outstanding student with a strong interest in research, you are welcome to contact Dr. Keyvan Hashtrudi-Zaad via email to express your interest. When reaching out, please include your CV and academic transcripts. Please note that, due to the high volume of inquiries, only applicants being seriously considered for a position will receive a response.
Prospective graduate students are also strongly encouraged to apply early for competitive scholarship opportunities such as NSERC, OGS, and other major funding programs.
Current Available Positions
Please review the available graduate positions carefully, and ensure you read and follow all application instructions accurately when applying.
The Interactive Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) Laboratory conducts reserach in rehabilitation robotics and telerobotics. IRIS lab is looking for a doctoral student in robotics for September 2026.
Required Expertise: Robotics, machine learning and control systems
Favored Expertise/skills: Haptics and telerobotics; Hands-on experience with mechanical and electronic hardware, as well as computing systems.
Who Can Apply: Domestic and international candidates with a master’s degree in engineering (ECE, BIOMED, MECHATRONICS) and strong academic background (GPA>85%) and research track record (published work) are encouraged to apply.
The research will take place at the IRIS Laboratory and Queen’s Ingenuity Lab Research Institute. The position is competitive and is funded with an annual stipend of ~C$29,000. Application is open to both international and domestic students. Priority will be given to domestic applicants. IRIS Lab is committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from equity deserving groups.
NOTE: This position does not apply to candidates with a Bachelor’s degree. There is no direct path for the PhD program.
With the advent of faster processing power, lower cost of electronics, and push for commercial head-mounted displays, virtual reality (VR) is becoming a reality and truly a formidable technological and market-driven force in revolutionizing the way we interact with machines and each other.
Haptics refers to the sense of touch. Devices that excite human’s sense of touch are called haptic interfaces. The excitation from the interface can be at the “kinesthetic” level, represented by arm movements or forces, and at the “tactile” level, represented by low-amplitude high-frequency vibrations. We have projects for the design of haptic actuators at both levels.
Position 1: Master’s Research in Kinesthetic Haptics
“Kinesthetic” haptics is robotic technology that allows users to interact with computer-generated objects through their interactions with their haptic interfaces. Applications of these systems are in robotic-based training of surgeons and dentists. Haptic interfaces are primarily actuated in direct drive or with low transmission ratio. Therefore, they often cannot output human-level forces. In addition, haptic actuators are expected to deliver high torque at low speeds, which substantially reduces their efficiency and exposes them to significant stress and wear.
In this exciting project, we plan to develop integrated mechanical/electronic hardware and software technologies to convert certain DC motors and stepper motors into haptic actuators with high output torque. The project will be co-supervised by Dr. Keyvan Hashtrudi-Zaad and Dr. Majid Pahlevani from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Queen’s University. The research will be conducted at the Interactive Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) Laboratory and Centre for Energy and Power Electronics Research (ePOWER).
Required Expertise/Skills: Hands-on-electronics, motors and drives; Power electronics
Favored Expertise/Skills: Robotics; Control systems; CAD design
Who Can Apply? Domestic candidates with strong academic background (GPA>85%) and
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) or Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering (MRE)
- Bachelor’s students invited to the ECE 4+1 Accelerated Master’s program.
Position 2: Master’s Research in Soft Vibrotactile Haptics
“Tactile” haptic interfaces are often made of eccentric rotating mass, linear resonant actuators, or voice coils, which cannot be reshaped. We have developed our first magneto-responsive actuator using PCB coil magnets and magneto-responsive materials. In this exciting project, we plan to develop a soft wearable version of the actuator that can take the shape of the body!
The project will be co-supervised by Dr. Keyvan Hashtrudi-Zaad from Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and and Dr. Matthew Robertson from the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering of Queen’s University. The research will be conducted at the Interactive Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) and Novel Engineering and Robotics Devices (NERD) laboratories.
Required Expertise/Skills: Hands-on-electronics; CAD design
Favored Expertise/Skills: Robotics; Control systems
Who Can Apply? Domestic candidates with strong academic background (GPA>85%) and
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) or Mechanical and Engineering (ME), or Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering (MRE)
- Bachelor’s students invited to the ECE or MME 4+1 Accelerated Master’s programs
The two positions are competitive and are funded with an annual stipend of ~C$27,000. Application is open only to domestic students in Canada. IRIS Lab, ePOWER, and NERD lab are committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from equity deserving groups.
NOTE: These positions do NOT apply to international candidates.
Apply: Please send a digital copy of your transcripts and CV to Dr. Keyvan Hashtrudi-Zaad at khz@queensu.ca. Use the subject line “Master’s Positions in Mechatronics for September 2026”.