Research Associate in Civil and Environmental Engineering
About The Position
The Infrastructure Simulation SEnsing, Evaluation Laboratory (I-S2EE) at the University of Virginia's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate. This role involves participating in multidisciplinary research focused on informative digital twinning for large-scale structural systems. The research will utilize visual sensing technologies, computational mechanics, and artificial intelligence. The candidate will engage in research activities involving vision-based experimental mechanics, model-based computational mechanics, computational vision strategies (like deep learning), and mixed reality visualization. The position requires a strong background in either computational and AI methods or experimental mechanics, with a motivation to develop skills in other areas. The associate will work in a multidisciplinary environment, collaborate with team members, and contribute to a positive work atmosphere. Research progress will be monitored through regular meetings, updates, and dissemination via peer-reviewed journals.
Requirements
- Hold a Ph.D. by the appointment start date in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or a closely related field, including data science, systems engineering, or engineering education.
- Demonstrate clear depth in at least one of the following areas: Computational and AI methods (artificial intelligence and machine learning, deep learning-based intelligent visual sensing, computer vision, mixed reality (AR/VR), data-driven structural identification, and image-based evaluation methods) OR Experimental mechanics (structural and materials testing in a laboratory environment, instrumentation of civil and/or mechanical systems, sensor-based structural health monitoring, digital image correlation, computational modeling and damage detection, visual recognition, and robotic inspection).
- Show a genuine interest in collaborating across disciplines.
- Possess strength in more than one of the specified areas (welcome but not required).
- Provide evidence of successful interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Have strong written and spoken English communication skills, including writing for peer-reviewed publication and presenting research to collaborators from other disciplines.
- Be prepared to work directly with the PI and engage in supervising current graduate and undergraduate students.
Nice To Haves
- Training or research experience in engineering education, the learning sciences, or educational assessment, held alongside a foundational engineering or computing discipline.
Responsibilities
- Conduct research under the supervision of Devin Harris, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering – Principal Investigator (PI).
- Advance cutting-edge visual sensing technology and data analysis to solve problems related to the built environment, focusing on improving the resilience, sustainability, and safety of engineering structures and infrastructure.
- Collaborate with the team on multidisciplinary research including image-based evaluation methods, visual recognition, data analytics, finite element simulations, and experimental tests.
- Create a process for identifying and predicting damage, considering both physical factors and surrogate models that utilize deep learning.
- Develop insight into the fundamental mechanisms of structural damage propagation and fatigue.
- Contribute to the engineering education research thread of the project, including instrument development, assessment of student learning, or dissemination of education findings.
- Take a leading role in developing and writing research proposals for external funding, including identifying opportunities, seeking partners, gathering data, and drafting proposals.
- Assist supervisor in writing scholarly articles and research proposals.
- Conduct weekly meetings among the PI, students, and other researchers.
- Support supervision of graduate and undergraduate researchers, guiding their projects, papers, and research development.
Benefits
- Information on benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA can be found at postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
