Senior Autonomous Systems Research Scientist

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

19h•Onsite

About The Position

The AI for Autonomy Lab within Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) AI Division is seeking a Senior Autonomous Systems Research Scientist to address fundamental research questions related to the development and use of AI-enabled autonomous systems in high-stakes environments. The lab focuses on the lifecycle of these systems and helps sponsors apply AI to improve effectiveness without adding unacceptable risk. The successful candidate will develop a research agenda and lead or conduct research addressing critical U.S. government needs. Areas of work may include applied machine learning and AI for autonomous systems across air, sea, and land domains; evaluation and explanation of autonomous-system performance; collaborative autonomy for planning, teaming, and command and control; mitigation of vulnerabilities associated with machine learning in autonomous systems; and simulation-based evaluation of real-world learning systems. The role includes leading interdisciplinary teams to turn research into prototype operational capabilities, collaborating with researchers, engineers, designers, technical leads, labs, and government customers, mentoring junior staff, and communicating research to varied audiences. The position is onsite five days per week at SEI's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Arlington, Virginia, office, with travel of up to 25% to SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings. The candidate must undergo a background investigation and be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.

Requirements

A published track record of conducting machine learning and robotics research and applying scientific methods.
Experience leading research projects and collaborating across research teams and stakeholders.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex technical ideas to diverse audiences.
Experience writing and delivering successful research proposals to funding agencies and leading the resulting projects.
Experience with programming languages such as Python and C/C++, and other pertinent languages and frameworks.
Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline with 10 years of experience; or a master's degree in one of these fields with 8 years of experience; or a Ph.D. in one of these fields with 5 years of experience.
Must undergo a background investigation and be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.
Must work onsite five days per week at the SEI office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Arlington, Virginia.
Must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with state of practice, emerging trends, and opportunities in industry and government, focusing on maritime, land, or space domains.
Experience working with the Department of War and the Intelligence Community.

Responsibilities

Develop a research agenda and lead or conduct research in support of critical U.S. government needs.
Lead novel research in applied machine learning and robotics.
Lead interdisciplinary teams in translating research results into prototype operational capabilities for government customers and stakeholders.
Collaborate with researchers, developers, engineers, designers, technical leads, campus labs, and government customers to understand challenges, needs, and potential solutions.
Mentor and teach junior staff, lead technical sessions, and contribute to establishing technical norms for the Lab.
Maintain awareness of developments in AI-enabled autonomous systems, particularly for national security use cases.
Develop and deliver technical presentations for diverse audiences, tailor content to stakeholders, speak at conferences and workshops, and publish in relevant peer-reviewed journals.
Conduct research in areas such as applied machine learning and AI, UxV autonomy, collaborative autonomy, counter-autonomy, and modeling and simulation.