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.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Job Description

The Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) is currently seeking Embedded System Software Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) in the Applied Embedded Systems (AES) Division for the Fall of 2026.

GTRI’s GRA program offers you extensive opportunities to participate in diverse scientific and technological endeavors, use state of-the-art equipment and rapidly improve your technical and leadership skills.

AES predominantly focuses on the research, development, testing, and deployment of embedded electronic and electromechanical systems. These systems are used for electronic warfare, control, communications, avionics, entertainment, physiological monitoring, and other uses.

This broad range of research will provide a solid foundation for the student as a future embedded systems engineer. The student will work under the guidance of GTRI researchers performing research in one or multiple of the following areas -

• Sensing and processing broad bands of the electromagnetic spectrum including Electronic Warfare Applications
• Technology Insertion efforts porting legacy system functionality to modern FPGA-based designs
• Embedded software development for electronic warfare systems
• Creating a complex electromagnetic environment used to test Aircraft Protection systems
• Digital Signal Processing
• Mechanical Engineering efforts supporting legacy avionics systems reverse engineering and modeling
• Researching and deploying processes, tooling and practices of modern software engineering
• Data engineering, infrastructure and automation
• Open Architecture hardware standards development and prototyping efforts

The student researcher will perform one or more of the following activities -

• Design, implement, and unit-test embedded microcontroller firmware (C/C++), including device drivers, communication protocols, and hardware interface logic.
• Develop and maintain user-facing GUIs (e.g., in Python, C#, or web frameworks) that interface with embedded systems for configuration, control, and data visualization.
• Implement and integrate database interfaces (SQL/NoSQL) to store, query, and manage data produced by embedded devices and test tools.
• Participate in system integration and hardware-in-the-loop testing, including debugging issues across firmware, GUI, and backend components using lab instrumentation and software tools.
• Create and maintain technical documentation for code, interfaces, communication protocols, and test procedures to support knowledge transfer and reproducibility.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineers to refine requirements, perform code reviews, and follow software engineering best practices (version control, issue tracking, CI/CD where applicable).

Required Minimum Qualifications

Graduate Research Assistant

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

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to perform research independently
• Ability to prioritize tasks while working on multiple projects
• Strong math skills and ability to learn complex engineering concepts
• Experience with schematic capture or board layout
• Ability to clearly communicate technical ideas to a non-technical audience

Hours per Week

15-20 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.

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The Institute is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and Institute policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia (“USG”) and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of an individual’s race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

USG Core Values Statement

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.