Research Associate, Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory

Job Posting Title:

Research Associate, Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory

Hiring Department:

Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering

Position Open To:

All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 25, 2025

Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details:

General Notes

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest numbers of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google, and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
• Retirement contributions
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid holidays
• Please visit our Human Resources website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Position Purpose

The Research Associate position will focus on demonstrating the value of transitioning new and promising research in robotics to address real-world problems particularly in hazardous environments. In doing so, the holder of this position will need to solve challenging research and engineering problems related to effectively moving new robotics and autonomy capability from the lab to the field. The researcher can also help to identify research that can solve real-world problems and help define requirements for new research that can address challenges they observe in the field. 

Responsibilities

• Carry out research in the area of applied robotics for use in extreme environments, particularly in the defense, space, nuclear, and oil & gas industries. Research areas of particular interest include autonomy, human-machine interfaces, mobile manipulation, control, and hardware/sensor integration. The high-level goals focus on advancing the systems’ autonomous capabilities in uncertain environments to reduce the burden on the operator and improve task efficiency and safe operation.
• Serve as co-principal investigator or senior research personnel to obtain research funding from federal agencies and industry.
• Help maintain laboratory equipment and group’s software repositories.
• Supervise and educate graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as well as support publication efforts related to the program’s research.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in engineering or computer science in robotics.
• The researcher should have at least four years of experience using the Robot Operating System (ROS) with knowledge of both Python and C++ well as a history of creating or contributing to the ROS software base. The ideal candidate would have experience as a software engineer.
• Two years of experience in the area of applied robotics related to at least one of the research topics above. The experience could be as a postdoctoral researcher and/or in industry.
• Established record of completing independent research, as demonstrated by scholarly publications in archival journals, filing of patent applications, and/or having received research funding from governmental and private funding agencies.
• Experience writing research grants in addition to experience in writing proposals and obtaining research funding.
• Based on research funding requirements, candidates must be U.S. Citizens.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CAD, 3D printing, basic wiring, DC circuits, and/or microcontrollers is desired.
• Working knowledge in one or more of the application areas: defense, space, nuclear and/or the oil & gas industries.

Salary Range

$110,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in standard office conditions.
• Work is performed in a research lab environment.
• Work is performed typically in a high bay facility, in proximity to the robotic systems and mock-up facilities.
• Exposure to electrical/mechanical hazards.
• Use of manual dexterity.
• Lifting and moving.
• Work outside of standard business hours may be required on a periodic basis.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.

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