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

About the role

The National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to develop an automated protein crystal harvesting system at the Center for BioMolecular Structure (CBMS).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement vision-guided real-time robotic manipulation methods for crystal harvesting
• Design and deploy closed-loop perception and control pipelines using visual feedback
• Contribute to vision-based servoing approaches for precise, real-time positioning
• Integrate perception outputs with motion planning and execution using ROS2 and MoveIt2
• Perform system calibration (e.g., hand-eye calibration, camera calibration) to ensure accurate 3D spatial alignment
• Evaluate and improve system robustness, including perception uncertainty and failure modes
• Collaborate closely with domain experts across crystallography, controls, and engineering
• Participate in system testing, tuning, and performance evaluation
• Document methods and results; contribute to 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 robotic systems: Robot kinematics and coordinate transformations, Motion planning and trajectory generation, Calibration methods, Proven track record in disseminating scientific results in the form of publications, or conference presentations

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Experience developing robotic systems that integrate vision-guided control in real-world settings
• Experience working with ROS2-based ecosystems
• Experience with camera calibration, hand-eye calibration, and coordinate frame registration
• Familiarity with: Micro-Manipulation, Sensor fusion or state estimation, Real-time system debugging and performance tuning