Postdoctoral Scholar, UAV Swarm Simulation

Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff (AZ); On-site; USD 58,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to lead UAV swarm simulation research and contribute to forest modeling using UAV lidar data. The role emphasizes developing scalable multi-agent coordination and documenting performance across varied field sites.

The successful candidate will collaborate with faculty and other postdoctoral researchers, prepare technical reports, and present findings at conferences while supporting data collection in diverse field

Responsibilities

• Develop and test UAV swarm simulations to identify optimum configurations.
• Develop forest models from UAV and lidar point cloud data.
• Dissemination, reporting & travel for project sponsors and conferences.
• Team supervision and mentoring of graduate students.

Skills

UAV swarm simulation

Lidar point cloud

Field testing

Research collaboration

Job description

Postdoctoral Scholar, UAV Swarm Simulation

Northern Arizona University

Special Information

• 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.
• Driving a vehicle on behalf of the university is anticipated to be a regular part of this position. Arizona Administrative Code Fleet Safety Policy requires all employees who drive on university business become authorized by submitting Driver's license information for driving record monitoring, and completion of training appropriate to the level of driving performed. The law applies to all faculty, staff, and students who drive personal or university-owned motorized vehicles for any business purpose. More information on the NAU Authorized Driver Policy can be found on the NAU website.
• The anticipated start date for this position is 2/1/27.
• 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.

About the Department/College

The Radiant Center for Remote Sensing, in partnership with the Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics (RSG) Lab in the Steve Sanghi College of Engineering at Northern Arizona University, seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to serve as lead technical researcher on a sponsored research project focused on using UAV lidar-based forest models to simulate UAV swarm flights to identify optimum configurations with the highest performance. 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 project includes a gradient of forested study sites with increasingly complex vegetation and terrain that are imaged with UAV and terrestrial lidar. Using the UAV lidar-based forest models, the postdoctoral research associate will test and quantify multi-agent UAV swarm objective planning, continuous adaptation and re-organization capabilities within each digital twin from each site. The postdoctoral research associate will characterize and document this variability in performance. The UAV swarm will also be tested with decreasing number of agents to quantify the impact of losses of increasing number of individual agents on swarm-level emergent behavior and assess self-healing capabilities. The postdoctoral research associate will work collaboratively with a team of postdoctoral researchers and faculty working on various other aspects of the project and will contribute to technical reporting and manuscript preparation. The position is based in Flagstaff, AZ.

Work environment

This position requires some fieldwork, including UAV flight testing across Flagstaff-area terrain ranging from desert and canyon country to ponderosa pine, mixed conifer forest, and alpine tundra (spanning close to 8,000 feet of elevation chang within about an hour of campus), as well as occasional overnight or multi-day travel for more distant field campaigns and for conference travel. The position may require occasional overtime, particularly around field campaigns and sponsor reporting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• 55% - Develop and Test UAV Swarm Simulations to Identify Optimum Configurations
  • Lead integration and adaptation of solid models for UAV flight simulation.
  • Develop UAV swarm simulation.
  • Test various UAV swarm simulations with increasing agent losses.
  • Identify and document optimum configurations and agent numbers for each forested environment.
• 20% - Develop Forest Models from UAV and Lidar Point Cloud Data
  • Lead algorithm development for turning the lidar point cloud data into solid models.
  • Test solid models.
• 15% - Dissemination, Reporting & Travel
  • Prepare technical reports and milestone updates for project sponsors.
  • Author and co-author peer-reviewed manuscripts and conference presentations.
  • Travel to attend and present research findings at scientific conferences, and travel to field sites to support data collection.
• 5% - Team Supervision & Mentoring
  • Help mentor graduate students in research methods, technical development, and professional growth.