Research Engineer

KU is seeking a highly motivated Research Engineer to work on the deployment of controllers for autonomous underwater vehicles that are robust to external disturbances and capable of performing autonomous missions. The project requires applied research skills since the developed control algorithms would be deployed on real hardware.

As part of the project, the researcher will have access to state-of-the-art research equipment and facilities at the KUCARS (https://www.ku.ac.ae/kucars) and will get an opportunity to work alongside researchers and graduate students from various backgrounds as part of a wider team.

The expectation of this role is to focus on lab/equipment support and research project operations with minimal publication output.

Position Requirements

1. Integrate and test custom robot control code written by engineers and scientists who develop algorithms in C++/Python.
2. Migrate existing code to a variety of computer hardware.
3. Frequently upgrade the code base to the latest robotics hardware while ensuring a smooth transition with minimal impact on research activities.
4. Run machine learning algorithms on high-performance computers using common machine learning packages like TensorFlow and Keras.
5. Write experimental procedures and validate developed algorithms practically.
6. Adhere to the University's information security and confidentiality policies and procedures, and report breaches or other security risks accordingly.
7. Perform any other tasks assigned by the Line Manager and contribute to the continued innovation and development of the research program.
8. Provide technical support to faculty members and students conducting research and participate in funded research projects.
9. Maintain liaison with investigators, research personnel, and staff to solve specific operating problems and improve technical activities.

Qualifications

1. MSc from a reputable university in Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related discipline.
2. Experience of undertaking assigned research tasks and starting to manage own workload.
3. Contributing to scientific papers and academic journal articles where possible acting as lead/corresponding author.
4. A willingness to contribute to a collaborative and supportive team culture.
5. Excellent English language communication skills (verbal and written).
6. Ability to function as part of a team working on multiple tasks with competing demands and deadlines.
7. Well-developed reasoning and problem-solving skills.
8. MSc gained from and/or experience working in a top 200 QS or THE ranked University.
9. At least 2 years of increasingly accountable relevant experience as a researcher in academia or in industry.
10. At least 1 lead author publication in a Q1 journal in the relevant field.
11. Experience contributing to high impact publications in top 10% journals in the relevant field.