Thank you for your interest! It is one of the highlights of my job to be able to work with students. Unfortunately, I will not be recruiting students for any of the EE, CE, or HMRS PhD programs in Fall 2024. If you are interested in S25 entry or later, please read below for more information.

I work with students on projects that are closely aligned with PARSES’s current projects; the website and publications will give you a sense of these but may not be fully up to date with our current projects. While I think they’re very exciting areas of study, students who are interested primarily in ML, AI, controls, field robotics, SLAM, CV, or other research areas in robotics or ECE outside of PARSES research should not apply to my group.

If you are a prospective EE, CE, or HMRS PhD student and you HAVE external-to-Northeastern funding (national fellowship, GEM, etc.):

Please send me an email letting me know you have external funding and are interested in my group and send a 1-paragraph explanation of the research you’re interested in, or attach your research statement from your funding application. We will set up a time to talk if your research seems well-aligned.

If you are a prospective PhD student and you do not have external funding (most students):

Please apply to the relevant PhD program and list Kris Dorsey as a faculty member whom you’ve contacted if it’s possible to on the application. Please also list my name on your statement as a faculty member with whom you’d be interested in working.

I am sorry that I cannot provide personalized guidance on whether I might consider your application before you apply. I imagine it can be challenging to interpret whether you should apply to a particular program or group amongst your many options. I offer some general guidelines and tips below.

In EE/CE, I will consider applications from students who are interested in a CCSP or MSMD concentration, who have BS or MS coursework that has prepared them for a CCSP or MSMD concentration, a GPA that indicates they are likely to successfully complete Northeastern’s graduate coursework (>3.3 for applicants with a BS, >3.6 for applicants with an MS). Previous research experience or publications are strongly recommended but not a requirement to join PARSES. If a student is prepared to undertake Northeastern ECE coursework, there is no particular major or skill set that is critical– folks have joined with backgrounds in CS, EE, ME, neuroscience, and beyond.

In HMRS, I will consider applications from students who have BS or MS coursework that has prepared them for the HMRS PhD program and a GPA that indicates they are likely to successfully complete Northeastern’s graduate coursework (>3.3 for applicants with a BS, >3.6 for applicants with an MS). Previous research experience or publications are strongly recommended but not a requirement to join PARSES.

Aside from previous coursework and project experience, you should have a clearly written research statement that explains 1) why you’re interested in research at a PhD level, 2) what specific research questions you think are critical to wearable devices, soft robotics, or rehabilitation or assistive robotics and are aligned with PARSES’s goals and projects, and 3) why your background and previous experiences have prepared you to begin this research. If you don’t have previous research experience, please write about related independent projects, internships, and project-based coursework to show how you’ve previously undertaken independent, project-oriented work.

I read these statements carefully, so I encourage you to write and revise at least 2-3 drafts to make it clear and detailed. (Also! Writing is an important communication skill for engineers, and I will be most interested in talking further with students who display a solid grasp of this skill for their career stage). To make your statement clearer, you may find it helpful to use editing software (e.g., Grammarly, MS Word), to make an editing group with other students from your university who are applying to grad school, to ask friends or family to read and make comments, or to visit your university’s writing center if that’s an available resource.