Research Engineer: Automotive Perception Sensors
This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program.
Position Description:
NIST is seeking a candidate to work on a project related to evaluating automotive perception sensors. The project requires a candidate with multidisciplinary skills who will execute most of the following tasks with guidance from the project leader.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Acquire data from automotive perception sensors such as lidars, radars, and cameras.
- Work with software relevant to each of the sensors and acquire data using ROS2 on Ubuntu/Linux.
- Design and execute sensor test procedures in various static and dynamic environments.
- Design test artifacts and setups using CAD software (SolidWorks) and send them for fabrication.
- Design fixtures, mounting apparatus, etc. using 80-20 extrusions.
- Collecting data with ground truth systems (laser trackers, etc.); training will be given if no experience is required.
- Perform market research on products, equipment, and sensors relevant to the project and compile information for purchases.
- Conducting and documenting experiments, analyzing data, and writing reports.
- Present work to the team, articulate ideas and seek feedback.
Desired Qualifications
- MS or BS in the following engineering fields: Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Computer engineering, Robotics). Undergraduate students with relevant experience will also be considered for part-time appointments.
- Software and OS:
- ROS, ROS2, C, C++, Python - relevant to compile modules for ROS2.
- Be able to work on both Linux and Windows
- MATLAB and Python programming for exploratory data analysis and statistics
- Experience with CAD software for making parts/fixtures for the setup
- Experience with Version control software and workflow (Git/Github/Gitlab)
- Other relevant experience:
- Experience in working with 3D point cloud data.
- Experience in measurement, testing, and evaluation of hardware and sensors.
- Hands-on work experience with tools, 80-20 extrusions
- Report writing and making presentations with relevant figures/illustrations/data.
- Strong oral and written communication skills that convey ideas and work in an efficient manner.
- Good documentation of the work that enables reproduction of the tests and results.
- Experience with various collaboration tools such as Slack, MS Teams, Google suite.
- Other desired skills:
- Be able to use in-house machining equipment (after training) for minor modifications
- Familiarity with Raspberry Pis and Arduino controllers (or alternatives)
Period of performance: 6 months from the start date.
Note: Onboarding after the selection of the candidate takes approximately 8 weeks.
All benefits and salary will be determined by the university that hires the candidate. Please see https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/professional-research-experience-program