Postdoctoral Research Associate — AI-Driven Reactive Robotics for Radioisotope Production

Brookhaven National Laboratory; Upton (NY); On-site; USD 72,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, seeks a postdoctoral researcher to develop an AI-driven robotic system for chemical purification in radioisotope production. The role emphasizes fast, reactive fine-motor control and real-time corrections, integrated with a vision-language planning model.

The successful candidate will work across robotics, radiochemistry, and computing, publish in peer‑reviewed venues, and contribute to unstructured lab environments.

Qualifications

• PhD in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics/data science, or closely related field.
• Backgrounds in robotics, controls, or machine learning are especially relevant.
• Strong programming skills in Python with ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch).
• Peer‑reviewed publications in relevant fields are expected.

Responsibilities

• Design and build a dual-system robotic architecture with a vision-language model for task planning and a fast learned controller for reactive manipulation.
• Develop reactive control layer using suitable approach (e.g. MPC, learned motion priors, or latent models).
• Build the 3D perception stack for fluid-state estimation through glassware using pretrained encoders.
• Develop and validate on a cold bench before active material; publish results in peer‑reviewed venues.
• Collaborate across robotics, radiochemistry, and computing communities.

Skills

Robotics & controls

Machine learning

Python programming

PyTorch

Vision-language models

Education

PhD in a technical field

Tools

PyTorch

3D perception tools

Job description

The Isotope Research & Production (IP) program at Brookhaven National Laboratory has an opening for a postdoctoral researcher to develop an AI-driven robotic system for the chemical purification steps in radioisotope production. The scientific challenge is not “can a robot move a beaker,” which is largely solved, but the open problem underneath it: fast, reactive fine-motor manipulation of fluids, precision pipetting, and pouring that corrects in real time when liquid begins to slosh or spill; coupled to a frontier vision-language model that plans and supervises the multi-step workflow. The successful candidate will have wide latitude to shape the research direction and will publish contributions to reactive, generalizable robotic manipulation in unstructured laboratory environments.

This position sits at the intersection of a mission-driven isotope-production program and frontier machine learning, and has a high level of interaction with an interdisciplinary scientific community spanning robotics, radiochemistry, and computing.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Design and build a dual-system robotic architecture: a frontier vision-language model for task planning, affordance reasoning, and anomaly/stop-gating, coupled to a fast learned controller for reactive fine-motor manipulation.
• Develop the fast reactive control layer using an approach matched to your background (e.g. force-feedback MPC with a learned motion prior, latent world models, imitation/vision-language-action policies, or continuous-time neural control).
• Build the 3D perception stack for fluid-state estimation (fill level, meniscus, vessel pose) through transparent, reflective glassware, using pretrained visual encoders.
• Develop and validate on a cold bench (water and glassware) before any active material.
• Publish results in peer-reviewed venues and present at conferences.

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics/data science, or a closely related technical field
• Backgrounds in robotics, controls, or machine learning are especially relevant.
• Strong programming skills in Python and hands-on experience with modern ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch).
• Hands-on problem-solving skills and clear, concise written and verbal communication.
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publication.
• Ability to work independently and drive an open-ended, high-risk/high-reward research agenda.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Experience in one or more of: robotic manipulation, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, world models, model-predictive/optimal control, or continuous-time dynamical systems.
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publication, ideally as a lead (first or primary) author.
• Experience with collaborative robot arms (e.g. UFactory xArm) and force/torque sensing.
• Experience with vision-language(-action) models, diffusion/flow-matching policies, or JEPA-style latent representations.
• Familiarity with 3D vision and pretrained visual encoders (e.g. DINOv2, V-JEPA).
• Interest in or exposure to laboratory automation, chemistry workflows, or radiochemistry.
• Track record of conference presentation.

Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements

Work is performed initially on a non-radioactive cold bench (water and glassware). Work with active material is a later project phase and would require applicable radiological worker training and adherence to BNL radiological control and laboratory safety procedures.

Other Information

• This position is located at BNL in Upton, New York.
• Initial 2-year term appointment subject to renewal contingent on performance and funding.
• BNL policy requires that after obtaining a PhD, eligible candidates for research associate appointments may not exceed a combined total of 5 years of relevant work experience as a post-doc and/or in an R&D position, excluding time associated with family planning, military service, illness or other life-changing events.
• Candidates must have completed all degree requirements by the commencement of the employment.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $71900 - $85000 / year. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at

Brookhaven National Laboratory requires all non-badged personnel including visitors to produce a REAL-ID or REAL-ID compliant documentation to access Brookhaven National Laboratory – view more information at www.bnl.gov/real-id. This is due to nationwide identification requirements for federal site access as required by the federal REAL ID Act. Those not in possession of a REAL ID-compliant document will not be permitted to access the site which includes access to the Laboratory for interviews.

As a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory requires employees to obtain and maintain a DOE Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) credential in accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) requirements. The credentialing process is completed as part of onboarding and enables access to DOE facilities and information systems. As a condition of employment, the selected candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a UPIV credential. These requirements are established under DOE Order 206.2 Chg. 2, Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM-Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM)) , and DOE Order 473.1A- Physical Protection Program- Physical Protection Program.

About Us

Brookhaven National Laboratory (www.bnl.gov) delivers discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation’s future. Brookhaven Lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, 37 R&D 100 Awards, and more than 70 years of pioneering research. The Lab is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) operates and manages the Laboratory for DOE. BSA is a partnership between Battelle and The Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University. BSA salutes our veterans and active military members with careers that leverage the skills and unique experience they gained while serving our country, learn more at BNL | Opportunities for Veterans at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Guided by our core values of integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, and teamwork, Brookhaven Science Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer-Vets/Disabled. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that fuels scientific discovery. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. *VEVRAA Federal Contractor

BSA employees are subject to restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation at the time of hire for review by Brookhaven. The full text of the Order may be found at: https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0486.1-BOrder-a/@@images/file