Five Postdoctoral Fellow Positions at University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Engineering

Postings received from ISTVS member Dr Vladimir Vantsevich:

In support of a pending award from the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Engineering has five open Postdoctoral Fellow positions.

During the 4-year research program, novel fundamental research topics will be developed and applied in a variety of laboratories, virtual, and real-world settings for demonstration of increased capabilities for autonomous ground vehicles in operationally relevant terrain and off-road environments. The successful candidates will have an exceptional opportunity to build their professional career in close collaboration with UAB faculty members, researchers and engineers of different professions, and private industries – working together and complementing each other on designing and establishing a unique research and engineering laboratory facility on autonomous ground vehicle mobility in terrain conditions.

Interested candidates should email a single PDF

1. CV with their qualifications, research achievements and clear indication of accomplishments and motivation in a position of their interest. The names and contact information of three references should be included in the CV, and
2. A cover letter with a statement of purpose in a particular position to Dr. Vladimir Vantsevich, Principal Investigator and Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Place Postdoctoral Fellow Position – XXXXXX in the subject line of your email. Reference Number for the Position of Interest is XXXXXX. In case candidates might want to be considered for two positions, they may place two reference numbers. However, an applicant is not allowed to include more than two reference numbers in his/her application.

Review of applications will begin April 27, 2020 and continue until the positions are filled. Successful candidate may be appointed as early as September 1, 2020. All positions are for 2 calendar years with a possible extension for another 2 years.

Five Postdoctoral Fellows Positions

NAI-1

This Postdoctoral Fellow position is in research areas of integration of AI-based machine learning techniques with intelligent controls to enable full autonomy or partial autonomy of a complex in the presence of uncertainties and dynamic environmental situations, for which the system was not necessarily designed. The areas include, but not limited to Intelligent algorithmic controls of Fuzzy Logic, model predictive control, model reference adaptive control, and decision-making and control planning methods comprising Q-learning and reinforcement-learning algorithms, self-configuring algorithms.

We plan to execute the integrated algorithms for modeling and simulating autonomous terrain mobility of a locomotion module comprised of a wheel driven by an e-motor, suspension, steering, and brake system. The designed algorithms will be then extended and implemented for in real-time hybrid simulations of an autonomous terrain ground vehicle. The Postdoctoral Fellow will actively participate in developing the new Natural and Artificial Intelligence Lab.

Candidates with interest, knowledge and skills in the above-listed basic research and application areas are recommended to apply for this position. Required qualifications: a recent PhD in Artificial Intelligence and related programs, experience in modeling & simulation, and practical experience in development of real-time applications. Additional skills and qualifications: 1) basics in vehicle dynamics modeling and simulation and understanding terrain mobility of autonomous vehicles, 2) ability to communicate and work with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members, 3) ability to work with industrial collaborators on the developing and implementing of the control algorithms in real-time hybrid simulations of autonomous mobility.

PVS-3

This Postdoctoral Fellow position is in research areas of computer vision related to digital image correlation. The areas include algorithms based on physics of the underlying deformations in studying stress-strain relations at high resolutions and minimal errors, experimental techniques for initial data collection of 3D-deformations of composite bodies, and post-processing algorithms on data inspection and extraction techniques to provide visualizations of volumetric imaging and data export sets.

The person admitted for this positon will also execute the designed algorithms and techniques in a semi-elastic rubber of the tire with a steel reinforcement. In particular, using the camera-vision-based images and measurements to define and characterize the shear stress - strain relationship of tires for the use in modeling of the tire-soil coupling. The Postdoctoral Fellow will actively participate in developing the new Physical and Virtual Sensors Lab and will collaborate with an industrial partner on developing experimental test lab facilities.

Candidates with interest, knowledge and skills in the above-listed basic research and application areas are recommended to apply for this position. Required qualifications: a recent PhD related to Artificial Intelligence and related sensor programs, experience in sensor modeling & simulation, practical experience in digital image correlation and its applications. Additional skills and qualifications: 1) basics in pneumatic tire mechanics and tire dynamics modeling and simulation, 2) ability to communicate and work with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members, 3) ability to work with industrial collaborators in the area of digital image correlation.

AMS-5

This Postdoctoral Fellow position is in research areas of real-time simulations that ensures realism of virtual environment and autonomous vehicles created with the use of gaming engines. The areas include, although are not limited to modeling of different levels of ground vehicle autonomy on roads and off-roads, generating of localized terrain topology with Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping for terrain simulation and validation, autonomous control of vehicle systems to provide the required path or generate an alternate path for improving autonomous vehicle mobility. In collaboration with students, faculty members, and industrial partners, the Postdoctoral Fellow will be developing requirements for the gaming engines for experimental lab facilities, doing conceptual design and participating in developing the new Autonomous Mobility Simulations Lab.

Candidates with interest and skills in the above-listed areas are recommended to apply for this position. Required qualifications: a recent PhD in Mechanical Engineering with experience in modeling and simulating autonomous vehicles (both vehicle dynamics and vehicle systems), extended knowledge in terramechanics and terrain topology mapping, skills in gaming engines at the user level who can advance his/her skills to the expert level during the course of this tenure. Alternately, the required qualifications may include a recent PhD in Computer Science with experience in gaming engines at the expert level, understanding terramechanics approaches and terrain topology mapping, knowledge in vehicle dynamics and vehicle system modeling and simulations.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will actively participate in developing the new Autonomous Mobility Simulations Lab and will collaborate with an industrial partner on developing experimental test lab facilities.
Additional skills: 1) quick learning ability, 2) ability to communicate and work with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members, 3) ability to work with industrial collaborators.

ASD-6

This Postdoctoral Fellow position is in research areas of (ii) digital twins of autonomous vehicles and their dynamic behavior in the interaction with complex environment, and (ii) digital twins of lab test rigs for simulating autonomous vehicle systems. The areas include, although are not limited to realistic baseline modeling, real-time computer simulation, virtual integration approach for sub-systems of an autonomous vehicle digital twin with exteroceptive and proprioceptive sensors, autonomous controllers and observers, and autonomous actuation of vehicle powertrain and chassis systems. The Postdoctoral Fellow will actively participate in developing the new Autonomous System Design Lab and will collaborate with industrial partners on developing hybrid simulation lab facilities.

Candidates with interest and skills in the above-listed areas are recommended to apply for this position. Required qualifications: a recent PhD in Mechanical Engineering with extended experience in modeling and computer simulating autonomous vehicles (both vehicle dynamics and vehicle systems), knowledge in terramechanics and terrain topology mapping and modeling.

Alternately, the required qualifications include a recent PhD in Software Engineering, understanding terramechanics approaches and terrain topology mapping, basic knowledge in vehicle dynamics and vehicle system modeling and simulations.

Additional skills: 1) quick learning ability, 2) ability to communicate and work with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members, 3) ability to work with industrial collaborators.

RTT-1

This Postdoctoral Fellow position is in research areas of terramechanics and off-road vehicle dynamics. The areas include, although are not limited to soil/terrain trafficability, assessment of vehicle terrain mobility, mapping and modeling terrain topography, physics-based terramechanics and semi-empirical terramechanics, vehicle - terrain dynamic interaction.

In collaboration with students, faculty members, and industrial partners, the Postdoctoral Fellow will be developing requirements, specifications and methods for real-time autonomous estimation of soil and terrain physical and topographical properties for the purpose of real-time mobility assessment. S(he) will be implementing the developed methods in experimental test procedures, developing data acquisition systems and conducting experimental research. The Postdoctoral Fellow will actively participate in developing the new Real-Time Terramechanics Lab and collaborate with other Labs.
Candidates with interest, knowledge and skills in the above-listed areas are recommended to apply for this position. Required qualifications: a recent PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related areas, substantial knowledge and experience in terramechanics, and practical experience in development of real-time applications in vehicle dynamics.

Additional skills and qualifications: 1) knowledge in modern control systems, 2) ability to communicate and work with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members, 3) ability to work with industrial collaborators on terramechanics and its real-time applications to vehicle simulations and vehicle experimental research.