Josephson Lab Junior Specialist

Assistant Professor Colleen Josephson of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department invites applications for a junior specialist, which will perform and assist in research related to field robotics, applied computer vision, and applied low-power deep learning. Working under the supervision of Professor Josephson, the junior specialist will contribute to two different projects.

The first project is USDA-NIFA funded and involves a custom visual-inertial drone system which acquires rapid aerial-imaged datasets for bettering agricultural practices. The project will require the specialist to calibrate custom visual and visual-inertial sensors, integrate sensor software into a resource-constrained runtime environment, and develop a tool-kit of software (validation, simulation, visualization) aimed at automatically relating world GPS points to pixels in aerial imagery. The project will also require the specialist to create custom simulation and testing frameworks to statistically quantify the accuracy/certainty of the system.

The second project that the junior specialist will contribute to is related to in-field, 100% soil-powered sensor networks. Specifically, developing artificial intelligence to forecast the available energy income which the system can then use to schedule operations so as to not exceed the extremely small power budget. This task involves experience creating, training, and testing neural networks, and learning new deep learning APIs. There will be great challenges with embedded systems integration which is required to port the simulation-level network to the deployment-level network which both have different software/hardware foundations.

The junior specialist will also make scholarly contributions to the research program through reading primary literature, preparing and/or editing scientific manuscripts, and/or presenting at lab meetings. The position will require the junior specialist to learn new techniques and implement protocols; demonstrate strong attention to detail; exhibit strong written and verbal communication skills; exercise good time management and problem-solving skills; and work effectively in a team environment. This application-oriented research is inherently cross-disciplinary. As a result, the candidate will need to demonstrate the experience or the capability to both adapt and work with new scientific fields.

The specialist may also be called upon to assist with general laboratory management tasks to ensuring continued research progress. Example duties include, but are not limited to making orders to re-stock common supplies, coordinating team meetings, and overseeing the maintenance and repair of key research equipment.

Applicants with any of the following areas of expertise or experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

• At least one year' hands-on field robotics experience with quadruped robots and UAVs in field contexts, sensor calibration, SLAM, computer vision, embedded systems, and deep learning.
• Working knowledge of microbial fuel cells.
• Authorship or co-authorship on related academic projects.
• Experience working with experts from a wide range of scientific fields.

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• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent foreign degree) in electrical engineering, or a related field such as electronics engineering, communications engineering, or laser and optical engineering.
• At least one year of experience with low-power energy harvesting research.
• At least one year of experience with soil microbial fuel cell research.
• At least one year of experience with embedded systems engineering.
• Demonstrated experience to work in a cross-disciplinary field.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
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