Postdoctoral Research Associate, Systems and Industrial Engineering

Responsibilities

• Author and co-author peer-reviewed journal papers targeting venues such as Systems Engineering (Wiley/INCOSE), SIMULATION (SCS/SAGE), Applied Ontology (IOS Press), and relevant IEEE/ACM journals.
• Prepare and present conference papers at CSER, INCOSE IS, CESUN, and similar venues.
• Contribute to technical reports and sponsor deliverables as needed.
• Support the design and implementation of a digital engineering sandbox environment for capability prototyping, training, and experimentation.
• Integrate emerging SE tooling (e.g., AI-assisted workflows, ontology-backed reasoning, requirements co-pilots) into the sandbox.
• Ensure the sandbox supports controlled experimentation and repeatable demonstrations of SE capabilities.
• Design, implement, and evaluate next-generation SE capabilities such as AI-augmented requirements engineering, automated conflict detection, model-based review support, and change impact analysis.
• Advance selected capabilities from early maturity toward cross-context application using the project’s assessment framework.
• Prototype and test novel capability concepts informed by the transformation roadmap and sponsor priorities.
• Maintain a living literature database supporting project deliverables and journal submissions.
• Design and execute controlled experiments, case studies, interviews, or surveys to generate rigorous evidence on SE capability effectiveness.
• Collect and analyze data from sponsors and stakeholders on adoption barriers, governance gaps, and capability value.
• Engage with professional organizations (e.g., INCOSE) to solicit expert feedback on the transformation roadmap framework and assessment methodology.
• Mentor and supervise undergraduate research assistants working on project tasks.
• Define scoped research tasks appropriate for undergraduate contribution (literature coding, data collection, prototype testing, documentation).
• Review student work products and support their professional development (conference presentations, writing skills, research methods).

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related field, conferred upon hire.
• Experience publishing peer-reviewed journals and conference papers (e.g., IEEE, ACM, or comparable venues).
• Experience designing and implementing research prototypes or software tools.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of systems engineering principles, including model-based systems engineering (MBSE).
• Knowledge of digital engineering concepts, tools, and transformation initiatives.
• Skilled in utilizing Python.

Skills

• Experience with model-based systems engineering tools (e.g., SysML, Cameo, MagicDraw, Capella).
• Familiarity with digital engineering ecosystems and sandbox/testbed environments.
• Experience with AI/ML techniques applied to systems engineering problems (e.g., requirements analysis, reasoning, automation).
• Experience in ontology engineering, knowledge graphs, or semantic technologies.
• Experience integrating heterogeneous tools and workflows (e.g., APIs, co-simulation, digital threads).

Benefits

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!