A Post-Doctoral Fellow position is open at the Advanced Control and Mechatronics Lab (www.acm.me.dal.ca) in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University. The successful candidate should have a PhD degree within 5 years (or close to completion) in Systems and Control, Intelligent Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, or related field. Background and experiences in neural networks (NN), reinforcement learning (RL), simulation and programming in Robot Operating Systems (ROS), and knowledge in marine systems are strong assets.
General project description: The candidate will conduct research on an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), specifically on the guidance, navigation and control unit with path planning, fault detection, and intelligent control modules. The research on the intelligent control methods includes NN and RL based method as well as comparisons with model-based control. The research will develop and build upon tools from Gazebo simulation in ROS for the simulation environment. The research will involve extensive experimental studies on the USV prototype and docking station available in the industry partner's location. In-water trials and implementations of the overall USV and docking system under different weather conditions will be carried out to improve the stability, robustness, and reliability of the developed unit.
Conditions of employment: The position is a one-year research appointment and renewable for a second year based on the performance. The researcher will receive a competitive salary in accordance with postdoctoral salaries at Dalhousie University at CAD$50,000/year including benefit.
Application documents: Curriculum Vitae; Statement of motivation and research interests (up to two pages); Transcripts of all obtained degrees (in English); Names and contact information of three references; Minimum of 3 sample publications.
Applications or inquires should be emailed to Prof. Ya-Jun Pan (yajun.pan@dal.ca). The call for applications will remain open until the potential candidate is found. The starting date is preferably on April 1st, 2022 or shortly after that.
