Research Associate 5

Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge (LA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Louisiana State University seeks a Research Associate 5 in the LSUAM Engineering – School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The position focuses on research and coordination for a federally funded project on decision-driven information distillation for multi-agent autonomy, including algorithm development and simulation work.

The candidate will integrate filtering, memory, and communication components into a reproducible framework, mentor graduate students, and prepare scholarly

Qualifications

• Master's degree in electrical engineering, robotics, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, systems and control, computer science, applied mathematics, computational mathematics; 2 years of relevant research experience; PhD may substitute.
• Ph.D. in a related field preferred; 2 years of relevant research experience; strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research supporting autonomous multi-agent systems operating with incomplete observations and limited communications.
• Develop methods to decide what observations to retain, beliefs to update, and when to share information.
• Implement methods in a reproducible software framework and connect processing components to a fixed downstream planner.
• Build multi-agent object-search environments framed as POMDP/Dec-POMDP with noisy observations and adversarial inputs.
• Collaborate with faculty and students to plan simulations and document results.

Skills

Research experience

Programming

Communication skills

Education

Master's or PhD in a relevant field

PhD preferred

Tools

Python

PyTorch

JAX

TensorFlow

C++

Job description

Job Posting Title

Research Associate 5

Position Type

Other Academic

Department

LSUAM Engineering - School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Shuangqing Wei (00007502))

Work Location

3325 Patrick F. Taylor Hall

Pay Grade

Other Academic

Job Description

This position will be responsible for conducting and coordinating research for the federally funded project "Decision-Driven Information Distillation for Multi-Agent Autonomy" through studying how teams of autonomous agents operating under partial observability, limited memory, constrained communication, sensing uncertainty, and adversarial interference should filter, retain, represent, and share information so that downstream decisions remain effective and trustworthy.

60% Research and Algorithm Development:

• Conduct research supporting autonomous multi-agent systems that must operate with incomplete observations, limited communication, constrained computing resources, and unreliable data.
• Develop and evaluate methods that help agents determine which observations to retain, how to update mission-relevant beliefs, what information to store, and when to share information with teammates.
• Adapt suitable estimation, control, machine-learning, and communication methods to the project's multi-agent object-search scenarios.
• Implement these methods in a reproducible software framework and connect the information-processing components to a fixed downstream planner.
• Build and extend computational multi-agent object-search environments formulated as POMDP or Dec-POMDP problems, with noisy multimodal observations, intermittent communication, spoofed sensor inputs, corrupted messages, communication denial, and dynamic risk fields.
• Evaluate the resulting methods through numerical experiments, benchmark comparisons, and simulation studies in multi-agent POMDP environments, with emphasis on mission outcomes, belief quality, communication and memory use, robustness, scalability, and decision latency.
• Review relevant research, software, and simulation tools as needed to support the project's technical development.

35% Project Integration, Documentation, and Research Coordination:

• Integrate the project's filtering, belief-estimation, memory, communication, and decision-interface components into a reproducible computational framework.
• Work with faculty, graduate students, and other project personnel to plan simulation studies, coordinate technical tasks, and support the development of the project's computational demonstrator.
• Maintain simulation configurations, source-code repositories, software environments, model checkpoints, simulation logs, benchmark instances, and evaluation scripts needed for reproducibility.
• Prepare peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical documentation, presentations, benchmark releases, software releases, and monthly, quarterly, or annual project reports as required.
• Assist with project planning, milestone tracking, technical reporting, and the development of related research proposals.
• Collaborate with the project team to translate theoretical and computational ideas into a validated simulation-based demonstrator for multi-agent autonomy.

5% Perform other research-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Master's degree in electrical engineering, robotics, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, systems and control, computer science, applied mathematics, computational mathematics. 2 years of relevant research experience. Relevant experience may include work in autonomous systems, robotics, estimation and control, machine learning, data assimilation, sensor fusion, or scientific computing. A Ph.D. in a related field may substitute for the required professional or research experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Ph.D in electrical engineering, robotics, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, systems and control, computer science, applied mathematics, computational mathematics, statistics, or a closely related field. 2 yeas of relevant research experience. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate strength in one or more of the following:

• Research experience in robotics, autonomous systems, multi-agent systems, or related simulation environments.
• Experience with estimation, data assimilation, sensor fusion, control, or decision-making under uncertainty.
• Experience applying machine-learning or probabilistic methods to sensor data, belief estimation, information selection, or communication.
• Strong programming skills and experience developing reproducible computational experiments; experience with Python and tools such as PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow, or C++ is beneficial.
• A record of research productivity appropriate to the candidate's career stage, together with strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively.

Applicants may bring depth in a complementary part of the project rather than across the full range of topics. Candidates from engineering, robotics, computing, control, or computational mathematics backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Additional Position Information

This is a full-time research position supported by a multi-year project. The initial appointment is expected to be for one year, with continuation contingent upon satisfactory performance, project needs, and availability of funding. The successful candidate will have opportunities to publish theoretical and computational research, develop publicly releasable software and benchmark datasets, collaborate across LSU Engineering and Mathematics, and mentor graduate students.

Sponsorship

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Background Check

An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.

Benefits

• Health, life, dental, and vision insurance;
• Flexible spending accounts;
• Retirement options;
• Various leave options;
• Paid holidays;
• Wellness benefits;
• Tuition exemption for qualified positions;
• Training and development opportunities;
• Employee discounts;
• and more!

Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University’s partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services including but not limited to employment, benefits, payroll, and tax compliance. Positions employed through Employer of Record Services will be offered benefits and retirement as applicable through their provider and will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

LSU is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Work Authorization

All candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and maintain that valid work authorization throughout employment.

Legal Compliance

Changes in laws, regulations, or government policies may impact the university’s ability to employ individuals in certain positions.

Contact Information

For questions regarding this position, please contact Dr. Shuangqing Wei at [e-mail].

Applicant Contact Details

HCM Contact Information: For questions or concerns related to updating your application with attachments (e.g., resumes, RS:17 documents), date of birth, or reactivating applications, please contact the LSU Human Resources Management Office at 225-578-8200 or email [e-mail]. For questions or concerns regarding the status of your application or salary ranges, please contact the department using the information provided in the Special Instructions section of this job posting.

About LSU

LSU researchers across Louisiana are working on developing a wide-range of innovations to improve quality of life by studying issues such as disease management, advance medical treatments, obesity, coastal protection, hurricane preparedness, energy, natural resource management and agriculture, among others. LSU’s Flagship University is a land-, sea- and space-grant institution with academic programs in all areas of science, engineering, humanities, arts and social sciences. The University comprises of nine institutions: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (“LSU”), the premier flagship university for the state, which include the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and the School of Veterinary Medicine Louisiana State University at Alexandria Louisiana State University at Eunice Louisiana State University at Shreveport LSU Health Sciences Center – New Orleans LSU Health Science Center – Shreveport The Health Care Services Division Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Pennington Biomedical Research Center Any other college, university, school, institution, or program now or hereafter under the supervision and management of the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In implementing its mission, LSU is committed to: Offering a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and extensive graduate research opportunities designed to attract and educate highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students; Employing faculty who are excellent teacher-scholars, nationally competitive in research and creative activities, and who contribute to a world-class knowledge base that is transferable to educational, professional, cultural, and economic enterprises; and Using its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental, and social challenges.