Welcome!

We acknowledge that maintaining an inclusive environment requires ongoing and active effort, and we are dedicated to continually learning and improving our support for diversity and inclusion. We value the experiences and perspectives of all members of our community and believe that a diverse and inclusive culture is crucial for fostering excellence in research and achieving our goals

PhD students

We typically have 1-2 PhD opening each year. (The positions for Fall 2025 are fulfilled.)

To apply, interested candidates should submit an application to Arizona State University via https://webapp4.asu.edu/dgsadmissions/, specifying their interest in working with Dr. Sun. Additionally, they should send an email titled “Prospective Ph.D. Student” or “Prospective Master Student” to jiefeng.sun@asu.edu, attaching their CV and a cover letter before submitting their application.

We usually have several rounds of interviews. Please refer to the post: student admission process

Master and Undergrad at ASU

I am seeking multiple highly motivated Master students or undergrads to conduct theses. To apply, interested candidates should fill in this form: https://forms.gle/RCwqu4wkCjhBUoFL7

• For master students, we only consider students who are interested in a Masters Thesis.
• For undergrads, we only consider 1) students who plan to go to graduate school (not necessary to be ASU), or 2) Barrett students who will do their Honor’s thesis

Funding for Master and Undergrad students

Hourly-payed grader I am teaching a class every semester. Students who are doing research in my lab usually get the grader position ($15 - $16 per hour).

MORE (for master students) The MORE Initiative is a unique opportunity to get involved in research during your masters experience. Please see Dr. Sun at the beginning of the semester in order to plan your MORE application. Deadline is middle of March and Oct each year.

FURI (for undergrads) The FURI Initiative is a unique opportunity to get involved in research during your undergrad experience. Please see Dr. Sun at the beginning of the semester in order to plan your FURI application. Deadline is middle of March and Oct each year.

SURI The student will receive a $5,000 stipend, housing and some living expenses during the summer each year. Deadline is Feb. 1st. I will prioritize sudents who have already worked with me or potential PhD students.

Hourly-paid RA: We will provide hourly-paied positions for students who have been in the lab for a while (>3 months) and perform great.

Q & A

What is the advising style? At Sun Robotics Lab, we are dedicated to nurturing creativity, promoting collaboration, and achieving academic excellence among our students. We strongly encourage collaboration among group members and with external teams. Each group member will have regular discussions with the PI regarding their research ideas and progress. We will assign an independent project/task to each incoming student. As students gain expertise in the field, we expect them to identify new and exciting research directions and lead their own projects. We will have a weekly group meeting to discuss research ideas and literature studies, and we will also set up a weekly or biweekly meeting with each group member to discuss their progress and provide individual support.

I am a K-12 student/teacher and would like information for a school report, tour, help with my robotics team, a research internship, etc. My students and I are very excited about using robotics as a teaching tool to encourage interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) topics. We actively involved in outreach and are have an outreach webpage to answer your questions.

Visiting scholars/summer research interns are welcome to email Dr. Sun directly for available opportunities.