Postdoctoral Scholar

About the Department/College

The Radiant Center for Remote Sensing, in partnership with the Planetary Instrumentation eXperimentation and Exploration Laboratory (PIXEL) at Northern Arizona University, seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to support the design, implementation, and field validation of embedded electronics for real-time sensor fusion aboard uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The position centers on custom hardware development, including schematic capture and multilayer PCB layout; VHDL/FPGA development for real-time data acquisition, timing, and on-board processing; and embedded software for sensor interfacing, synchronization, and system control. This is one of several concurrent postdoctoral scholar recruitments at Radiant Center, and the successful candidate will collaborate closely with fellow postdoctoral researchers and faculty working simultaneously on related projects.

About the Position

The postdoctoral scholar will work alongside a full-time electrical engineer to integrate these systems onto UAV platforms, contribute to flight testing across the varied terrain around Flagstaff, and work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams in engineering and the remote sensing sciences to translate results into technical reports, peer-reviewed publications, and deployable instrumentation. The postdoctoral scholar will also help mentor graduate and undergraduate student researchers supporting the project. This is an in-person, laboratory- and field-based position based in Flagstaff, AZ. This position is primarily an office and laboratory-based design role. Most of the work is performed at a desk and on the bench: schematic capture and PCB layout, FPGA and firmware development, simulation, and hardware bring-up and debugging. Laboratory work involves electronics assembly and test equipment, oscilloscopes and logic analyzers, soldering and rework stations, 3D printers, and drone hardware, with routine exposure to small hand tools, soldering fumes, and low-voltage electrical hazards. Fieldwork is a smaller component, consisting of periodic UAV flight testing at sites in and around Flagstaff, occasionally in rugged terrain and variable weather, with infrequent overnight or multi-day travel for more distant field campaigns and for conference travel. The position may require occasional overtime, particularly around test campaigns and sponsor reporting deadlines.

Requirements

• This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.
• This position is subject to the availability of funding.
• Due to this project’s funding source, this position is open only to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
• The position may require handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in accordance with sponsor and university data-security requirements.
• Work on this project may involve technical data, hardware, or software subject to U.S. export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR); the incumbent must be able to comply with applicable export control requirements and with any project-specific technology control plan.

Responsibilities

• 60% - Electronics Design & Real-Time Sensor Fusion Development: Support schematic capture and multilayer PCB layout for custom UAV sensor-fusion electronics, including power, high-speed digital, and mixed-signal design. Develop VHDL/FPGA firmware for real-time data acquisition, timing, synchronization, and on-board sensor fusion processing. Develop embedded software (C/C++, Python) for sensor interfacing, data logging, and system control on microcontroller and edge-compute platforms. Conduct simulation, bench validation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of custom electronics and firmware.
• 20% - UAV Integration, Field Testing & Validation: Assist with integration of custom electronics and sensor payloads onto UAV platforms, flight-controller/autopilot stacks (e.g., Pixhawk, ArduPilot/PX4), and edge-compute hardware. Support planning and execution of field data collection campaigns and flight tests across varied terrain to support development and validation. Perform board bring-up, calibration, debugging, and troubleshooting of hardware, firmware, and sensors in the lab and in the field. Characterize system performance against reference measurements and document results.
• 15% - Analysis, Dissemination & Reporting: Process and analyze multi-sensor datasets to evaluate hardware, firmware, and fusion algorithm performance. Prepare technical reports and milestone updates for project sponsors. Author and co-author peer-reviewed manuscripts and conference presentations.