Cape Town, South Africa
Position Type: Full Time

The African Robotics Unit (ARU) is a collection of robotics researchers in South Africa focused on studying problems we are uniquely positioned to solve. We are based at the University of Cape Town, the top-ranked university in Africa, which is situated in Cape Town, ranked in the top 25 cities in the world for travel.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join A/Prof. Amir Patel’s lab at UCT. A/Prof. Patel’s lab is interested in studying the motion of animals through the lens of robotics and machine learning. This approach can provide new insights into biomechanics, ecology as well as help build the next generation of robots. For this position we are looking for someone to help us investigate how sensor fusion can be leveraged to understand the locomotion of wildlife here in South Africa.

• Develop sensor fusion algorithms for studying animal biomechanics in the wild
• Attend field trips to collect wildlife data in South Africa
• Lead the Sensor Fusion group and mentor postgraduate students
• Take leading roles in ongoing projects and proposal writing
• The successful candidate will be required to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Cape Town and a Memorandum of Understanding with his/her Principal Investigator.

Requirements:

• PhD in Engineering(Electrical, Computer, Robotics)or related field completed within the last 5 years
• Documented experience in perception, state estimation or computer vision
• Proven autonomy in achieving high quality research results and the ability to develop new ideas
• Strong skills in C++ and Python
• Proven experience with ROSand/or ROS2
• Confidence with version control tools (specifically git)
• A strong publication record and the ability to properly report, organise and publish research data
• Good communication skills and ability/willingness to integrate within a multidisciplinary international research group
• Documented experience in coaching junior scientists
• Good command in spoken and written English
• Applicant may not previously have held full-time permanent professional or academic posts and be under 40 years old.