05/28/2026
Interested in researching food science, materials science, robotics, and/or how AI can be utilized in these areas of research? The Food As Medicine and Smart Delivery lab may be a good fit for you! Read more ⬇️
This lab’s research focuses on designing functional foods, smart delivery systems, and automated platforms to improve human health, nutrition, and food sustainability. One emerging direction in this lab is the use of robotics and embodied AI for food applications, including robotic handling of food ingredients, automated food formulation, noodle and bakery product prototyping, and AI-assisted optimization of food processing workflows.
Undergraduate researchers will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on projects involving robotic systems, food formulation, automated experimentation, image/video data collection, and basic programming or system integration. Depending on their interests and background, students may help design experiments, operate food processing equipment, test robotic manipulation tasks, collect and analyze data, prepare figures, and contribute to manuscripts or conference presentations.
This lab is looking for a contribution of 6–8 hours per week, however, students who can commit 8–10 hours per week are preferred. Students can expect to be compensated in one of the following ways: through course credit, paid hourly research assistant positions, or volunteer research experience.
Interested students should email Dr. Xin Yang at [email protected] with the subject line: “Undergraduate Research Opportunity – Robotics for Food Applications”. Please include a brief statement of interest, your major/year, relevant coursework or experience, weekly availability, and add a resume or CV if available.
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P.S.: Be sure to check out SDUR’s webpage regarding how to reach out to mentors if you would like assistance in drafting an email to faculty members for research opportunities! 🔬🧪
