Postdoctoral Fellow - Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering

West Virginia University

2h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University invites applications for the position of Post-Doctoral Fellow in the general area of Mechanical Engineering, with the research area focused on embodied computational neuroscience models of animal intelligence, with emphasis on continual learning mechanisms. The initial appointment is for one year, starting on or near May 1, 2026, with the possibility of extension (contingent on funding).
Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following: designing and implementing modular software and hardware systems for real-time control of a legged robot, creating a mechanical simulation of the legged robot for testing control systems, designing and conducting experiments to measure how the developed control systems increase robot mobility, disseminating research results through technical publications, attending research conferences and reading scientific literature to keep abreast of technological advances and current research findings, identifying and assisting with acquisition of funding from public, private, and governmental sources, interacting and collaborating with researchers within a collaborative research project, overseeing and coordinating graduate students, writing and presenting research status reports for review and use of the principal investigator, and preparing the results of research findings for presentation to colleagues and the sponsor.
West Virginia University is the State’s comprehensive Land Grant University with an enrollment of over 26,000 students and a R1 Carnegie Classification. Morgantown, including its vicinity, has a diverse population of about 62,000 residents and is ranked highly among the most livable small cities in the country. The community lies within a high technology corridor that also includes several federal research facilities, as well as industries active in shale gas operations. The city is readily accessible and within driving distance from Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC. For more information on WVU and Morgantown, see https://www.wvu.edu and http://www.morgantownwv.gov.
The Statler College has seven academic departments, over 2,700 students, and 147 faculty members, with over $42 million in annual external research expenditures. Statler College is nationally recognized for high quality teaching, excellent research, and outstanding faculty and students. The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering has 35 tenure-track or tenured faculty members and over 575 undergraduate and 100 graduate students. It offers degrees at the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels, including dual B.S. degrees in both aerospace and mechanical engineering.
Morgantown is a safe, inclusive, and family-friendly community. WVU provides faculty members with a supportive environment for developing a visible and productive career (https://talentandculture.wvu.edu/new-employees) and a range of progressive policies to support work-life integration (https://faculty.wvu.edu/policies-and-procedures/work-life-integration). WVU also offers a Dual Career Program to assist partners in their career transition and job search. Extremely competitive candidates may be offered a Hybrid or fully Remote position.

Requirements

• Eligible candidates must hold an earned doctoral degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, neuroscience, or a related field at the time of appointment.
• Expertise in computational neuroscience, Python and/or C++, and ROS are required.

Responsibilities

• designing and implementing modular software and hardware systems for real-time control of a legged robot
• creating a mechanical simulation of the legged robot for testing control systems
• designing and conducting experiments to measure how the developed control systems increase robot mobility
• disseminating research results through technical publications
• attending research conferences and reading scientific literature to keep abreast of technological advances and current research findings
• identifying and assisting with acquisition of funding from public, private, and governmental sources
• interacting and collaborating with researchers within a collaborative research project
• overseeing and coordinating graduate students
• writing and presenting research status reports for review and use of the principal investigator
• preparing the results of research findings for presentation to colleagues and the sponsor

What This Job Offers

• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree