Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Posting Title:Postdoctoral Fellow

Hiring Department:Oden Institute

Position Open To:All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours:40

FLSA Status:Exempt

Earliest Start Date:Immediately

Position Duration:Expected to Continue Until Mar 31, 2025

Location:UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details:

General Notes

The Oden Institute is an organized research unit that fosters interdisciplinary programs in computational sciences and engineering, computational medicine, computational geosciences, mathematical modeling, applied mathematics, data science, software engineering, and computational visualization. PhD must have been received within the past three years. The position is funded for a year with possibility of continuation based upon performance review, progress towards research goals, and continuation of funding. The appointment can be renewed up to 4 times, but an overall duration of 2 or 3 years would normally be expected.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

100% employer-paid basic medical coverage

Retirement contributions

Paid vacation and sick time

Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Purpose

Collaborate on research in the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Krishna Kumar. Will conduct research on developing differentiable simulators, graph network simulator surrogates and reinforcement learning to develop policy optimization to control robot-soil interactions in lunar environment.

Responsibilities

Perform basic research in differentiable programming and physics informed machine learning (Graph Neural Networks and Neural Operators) for solving inverse and optimization problems.

Develop AI-accelerated numerical methods for identifying material properties and forces from multi-view cameras on the rover to manipulate lunar environments.

Develop gradient-based policy optimization for manipulating soft matter in low-gravity environments and perform tests on robotic arm in lunar soil stimulant environment.

Implement and test new algorithms in GPU computing environments.

Write scientific journal articles describing new findings. Disseminate the research through presentations at scientific conferences, university seminars, and in internal meetings.

Required Qualifications

Ph.D. in a computer science, robotics, mathematics, engineering, or a related discipline; earned within the last three years.

Strong background in linear algebra, numerical analysis, and machine learning.

Experience in robotics is highly encouraged.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary research team.

Solid publication record.

Preferred Qualifications

Background in the following areas: numerical linear algebra, physics-informed machine learning, robotics, AI-accelerated simulations, numerical methods.

Experience with scientific programming.

Salary Range

$65,000 + depending on qualifications.

Working Conditions

Regular office environment.

May work around standard office conditions.

Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.

Travel as required to project meetings or conferences.

Required Materials

Letter of Interest

Research Statement

Resume/CV

Arrange at least three (3) confidential reference letters be sent to Kay Brown ()

Proof of Ph.D. in a mathematics, engineering, computer science, or a related discipline earned within the last three years.

Employment Eligibility:Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]

E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]

Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.

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