Postdoctoral Research Associate - Embodied AI Lab Automation: Vision-Guided Real Time Robotic Manipulation (Robotics)

Location: On-site at hirify.global in Upton, New York, United States

Salary: $71,900–$119,000 per year, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Company

hirify.global is a U.S. Department of Energy-supported multidisciplinary research laboratory operated by Brookhaven Science Associates.

What you will do

• Develop vision-guided, real-time robotic manipulation methods for harvesting fragile micron-scale protein crystals.
• Build and deploy closed-loop perception and control pipelines using visual feedback and visual servoing.
• Integrate computer vision outputs with motion planning and execution using ROS2 and MoveIt2.
• Perform hand-eye and camera calibration to achieve accurate 3D spatial alignment.
• Evaluate system robustness, perception uncertainty, failure modes, and real-world performance.
• Collaborate with crystallographers, beamline scientists, controls engineers, mechanical engineers, and data scientists; document results through reports, publications, and presentations.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing robotics systems.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++.
• Knowledge of robot kinematics, coordinate transformations, motion planning, trajectory generation, and calibration methods.
• Scientific publication or conference presentation record.
• All degree requirements must be completed by the employment start date; the position is on-site and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a DOE UPIV credential.

Nice to have

• Experience with vision-guided control in real-world robotic systems and ROS2-based ecosystems.
• Experience with camera calibration, hand-eye calibration, coordinate-frame registration, and machine learning integration in robotics.
• Familiarity with micromanipulation, sensor fusion, state estimation, real-time debugging, and performance tuning.

Culture & Benefits

• Two-year appointment with possible renewal subject to performance and funding availability.
• Work in a multidisciplinary scientific environment focused on structural biology and transformative technology.
• Employee benefits are provided through hirify.global's comprehensive benefits program.
• Access to a collaborative research setting involving crystallography, controls, engineering, and data science experts.

Hiring process

• Submit a brief cover letter describing the fit between experience, career goals, and the position, together with a resume or CV.
• Selected candidates must meet REAL-ID-compliant site-access requirements and complete DOE UPIV credentialing during onboarding.