Postdoctoral Research Associate - College of Engineering - Department of Mechanical Engineering

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here! Innovation. Interdisciplinary collaboration. Complex problem solving. In Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, faculty members, researchers, and students are revolutionizing focus areas in advanced manufacturing, bioengineering, computational engineering, energy and the environment, product design, and robotics. In addition, they are using their expertise in interdisciplinary research centers across the university. Carnegie Mellon University’s department of Mechanical Engineering is searching for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join their team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in an interesting and challenging work environment. In this role, you will lead and participate in research that leverages artificial intelligence and large language models to solve fundamental problems in autonomous driving, robotics, verification and validation, and safety problems related to autonomies. You will develop novel methodologies that advance the state-of-the-art in autonomous vehicle technology while ensuring research outcomes are reproducible, well-documented, and aligned with safety-critical system requirements and such other tasks that are assigned to you. Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. We are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

Requirements

• Doctorate degree
• Research experience in traffic modeling, autonomous driving, scenario generation, and AI are preferred.
• A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Support PhD students on their research methodologies, experimental designs, and theoretical approach.
• Participate actively in research meetings, offer constructive suggestions for overcoming technical challenges.
• Lead and manage independent research projects by identifying critical gaps in the current understanding of autonomous vehicle safety and AI-driven verification methods.
• Develop comprehensive research plans that outline objectives, methodologies, timelines, and resource requirements.
• Coordinate with interdisciplinary team members.
• Participate in traffic scenario generation project and pedestrian modeling project.
• Develop sophisticated AI-driven algorithms that create realistic, safety-critical test scenarios for autonomous vehicle validation.
• Design and implement machine learning models that capture the complexity and variability of real-world traffic situations, including unusual pedestrian behaviors, edge cases, and multi-agent interactions in urban environments.
• Conduct research on how to comprehensively establish safety and risk assessment for autonomous vehicle systems by identifying potential failure modes, analyzing system vulnerabilities, and developing mitigation strategies that enhance overall system robustness
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions.
• Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance.
• Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree