Maintaining a dedication to philosophical and methodological innovation enables our lab to resolve longstanding limitations in the study of biomechanics. We create new computational, experimental, and theoretical approaches for interrogating articular form-function relationships and harness the resulting advances to illuminate the incredible diversity of vertebrate animal motion. If this focus aligns with your priorities, consider applying to join us – we welcome trainees with backgrounds in biomechanics, comparative anatomy, computer science, engineering, physiology, and beyond to work on research questions concerning joints in species across the vertebrate tree (including humans).

Resources at Georgia Tech include a world-class XROMM and microXROMM facility (currently under construction), numerous core facilities (housing microCT and CT scanners, a gait lab, material testing systems, 3D printers, and much more), and Institute-wide research partnerships with Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium, Shriners Children's, and Emory.

Graduate Students
We are currently recruiting a PhD student to begin in Fall 2026. Prospective PhD students can apply to join the lab through the Quantitative Biosciences, Biology, or Applied Physiology PhD programs at Georgia Tech – see the School of Biological Sciences website and the program brochure to learn more. The application deadline for all programs is December 1 of each year. If you're interested, please send an email to armita.manafzadeh@yale.edu with (1) a copy of your CV and (2) a brief summary of your experience, your interests, and their alignment with the lab. The best time to reach out is August-November – yes, before applying! – and sooner is better than later.

The GT graduate student stipend is $39,000 for the 2026-2027 academic year and is tentatively scheduled to increase each year for the next several years. Graduate students in the lab are supported by a combination of Teaching Assistant funding (i.e., your stipend is paid by the School for your work as a TA), Research Assistant funding (i.e., your stipend is paid from lab startup funds or research grants), and fellowships (i.e., you receive an award that pays your own stipend). Prospective graduate students are strongly encouraged to begin applying to external fellowships for which they are eligible now, such as the NSF GRFP, the Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology & Evolution, the Hertz Fellowship, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship, and the DoD NDSEG Fellowship – and will be expected to apply to fellowships after joining the lab.

Postdoctoral Researchers
We are not currently advertising a funded postdoctoral position, but are happy to support applications for postdoctoral fellowships. If you've identified a source of fellowship funding and think the lab would be a good home for your postdoctoral research, please send an email to armita.manafzadeh@yale.edu with a copy of your CV, information about the fellowship(s) you're interested in and their deadlines, and a brief summary of your proposed project and its alignment with our work. The best time to reach out is at least two full months before the application deadline; sooner is better than later.

Some potential postdoctoral fellowship opportunities (eligibility requirements and foci vary) include the NSF PRFB, the Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellowship, the Human Frontier Sciences Program Fellowship, HHMI's Hannah H. Gray Fellows Program, and various awards through the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Undergraduate Students
Please check back here for more information in Fall 2026. We'll be happy to talk with interested GT undergraduates about working in the lab.