PhD Opportunity on Generative-AI driven Requirements Regulation in Space Missions
Job No.: 687090
Location: Clayton campus
Employment Type: Full-time
Duration: The scholarship may be held for up to 3.5 years (full-time) for Research Doctorate (PhD) studies
Remuneration:
The successful applicant will receive:
- A Faculty of Information Technology Research Stipend Scholarship (living allowance), at current value of $37,145 AUD per annum for PhD
- A Faculty of Information Technology International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (tuition fees), which includes Overseas Student Health Cover (Single) for an international student
- FIT Candidature Funding of $4,000 for the duration of the candidature
- Up to $1,265 from Monash Graduate Research Office as a one-off travel grant
The Opportunity
This is an exceptional opportunity for a PhD candidate to shape the future of space-mission design through AI. The project focuses on building and evaluating a generative-AI requirements regulatory compliance solution that helps translate complex mission briefs and regulations into rigorous, traceable, regulator-ready requirements. The candidate will join an interdisciplinary community at Monash University spanning computing, systems engineering and socio-technical research, and will engage with government and industry stakeholders under confidentiality arrangements. You will contribute to open, reproducible methods and public guidance for responsible AI in high-assurance settings, particularly in space domain.
To be considered for this opportunity you should fulfil the eligibility requirements for Monash HDR candidates:
The minimum academic requirements for admission into a PhD or doctoral course are:
- A bachelor’s degree of at least four years in a relevant discipline, which includes a research thesis or project, with a minimum overall average grade of an honours degree equivalent to a first-class honours degree; or
- A master’s degree in a relevant discipline which includes a research thesis or project equivalent to at least 25 percent of one year of full-time study, with a minimum overall average equivalent to a first-class honours degree.
For this particular position you must have an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in applied AI, computer science, software/systems engineering, and data science. Experience with NLP/LLMs and/or requirements engineering is highly desirable; familiarity with model-based systems engineering, safety-critical domains, space/satellite domain, and quantitative research will be viewed favourably.
Monash University strongly advocates diversity, equality, fairness and openness. We fully support the gender equity principles of the Athena SWAN Charter.
The Project
We invite applications from outstanding PhD candidates with undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in software/systems engineering, or computer science. Applicants with training in quantitative and empirical research and experience in requirements engineering, safety-critical systems, or AI/ML/LLMs/Knowledge Graphs are especially encouraged to apply.
This PhD forms part of a research program at Monash University focused on advancing requirements engineering for space missions. The project investigates how mission briefs, system models, and regulatory texts can be translated into rigorous, auditable requirements—particularly when AI-assisted methods are introduced. Working with de-identified data, the candidate will study real development workflows while contributing open, reproducible techniques suitable for high-assurance contexts. The project will:
- Characterise current practice and pain points in space RE across concept, design, and authorisation phases, including regulatory traceability and change impact.
- Develop AI-assisted RE methods (e.g., retrieval-augmented drafting, model/standard linkage, explainable traceability) that improve quality and reduce rework.
- Advance theory and methodology for RE in safety-critical, highly regulated domains, integrating qualitative insights with empirical software engineering.
- Deliver public resources—evaluation protocols, red-teaming checklists, and guidance for responsible, auditable AI use in mission design.
The project will generate new knowledge about RE in the space sector, produce validated techniques to improve traceability and impact analysis, and offer practical guidance for procurement, assurance, and regulation. Benefits include enhanced efficiency in early design, stronger compliance pathways, and improved accountability for AI-supported engineering.
Prior experience with space systems or specific companies is not required; we seek a researcher eager to apply rigorous knowledge of LLMs/Knowledge Graphs/ AI methods to this domain.
This position has a two-stage selection process:
Stage 1: Please submit an EOI using the Faculty of Information Technology Research Project Enquiry form here: supervisorconnect.it.monash.edu/enquire.
With the EOI please include the documents requested by the form - CV, academic transcripts and cover letter outlining the experience, and a draft research proposal of max two pages, responding to the above research objectives.
Stage 2: Candidates who pass this stage of the selection process will be invited to discuss their ideas with Dr Chetan Arora before developing submitting a full application.
Enquiries: Dr Chetan Arora, chetan.arora@monash.edu
Applications Close: Sunday 31 January 2026, 11:55pm AEDT
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