Grass, Building, Office Building, Flower, Geranium, Lawn, Person, Outdoors, Nature, Tree

Post Doctoral Fellow - Mechanical Engineering

  • 497019
  • Full-Time
  • Mechanical Engineering
Department: Mechanical Engineering Salary: Commensurate with Experience/Education

Description:

Possesses, understands, and applies a comprehensive knowledge in area of specialization. Develops understanding and skills to allow for completion of assignments that cross fields of specialization. Develops leadership and management skills.

1. Receives/Reviews progress and evaluates results of experiments or projects under control or supervisory responsibility.
2. Recommends changes in research, testing or experimental procedures.
3. May be responsible for a single highly technical and complex piece of research equipment.
4. May review and evaluate the effectiveness of personnel.
5. May plan for and assign personnel to projects under control.
6. Operates with latitude for unreviewed action.
7. May receive general supervision conferring with higher levels only in unusual situations.
8. Performs other job-related duties as required.

Position Summary
We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on an automated robotic system for surface damage detection and additive repair. The project combines 3D scanning, computational geometry, and collaborative robot control into an end-to-end pipeline — from scanning and damage detection through toolpath generation and robot-executed repair. The postdoc will work across both the algorithms and hands-on robotics sides of the project.

Responsibilities
- Develop algorithms for 3D surface damage detection, repair surface reconstruction, and conformal toolpath planning
- Program and operate a collaborative robot arm for automated scanning and material deposition
- Implement calibration routines, coordinate transforms, and robot motion strategies
- Conduct physical experiments to validate system performance on test specimens
- Develop software tools (Python, C++) for pipeline automation and operator interfaces
- Publish in peer-reviewed journals and support proposal writing

Required Qualifications
- PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or closely related field
- Strong Python skills; working knowledge of C/C++
- Background in computational geometry, 3D mesh/point cloud processing, or sensor-robot calibration
- Hands-on experimental research experience

Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with robot programming and control
- Experience with additive manufacturing, cold spray, or thermal spray
- Familiarity with 3D scanning systems or robot SDKs (ROS, vendor APIs)
- Background in surface metrology or defect detection

MQ: Requires singular knowledge of a specialized advanced professional discipline or the highest level of general business knowledge, normally acquired through attainment of a directly job-related terminal degree or equivalent formal training in a recognized field of specialization that is directly related to the type of work being performed. No experience is required.

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.

Recommended postings

Enterprise IT Security Analyst 1 (On-site)

497177 VC/VP, Admin & Finance-Information Technology Full-Time
The Analyst I Enterprise IT Security role is an entry-level cybersecurity position responsible for providing front-line operational support to the UH System Security Operations Center and Investigation Team. The position supports intake, triage, documentation, customer communication, metrics, reporting, and investigation-related activities for information security events across the UH System, while also participating in an on-call rotation. It requires foundational knowledge of IT or cybersecurity concepts, at least six months of related technical or analytical experience, the ability to obtain an approved entry-level cybersecurity certification within one year, and a commitment to ongoing learning as security tools, practices, and technologies evolve.

Facilities Contract Coordinator

497164 VC/VP, Admin & Finance-Facilities/Construction Mgmt Full-Time
Provides support to management in the development and fulfillment of contract requirements for operational and construction services. Participates in the preparation and execution of required documents for project specific jobs for the University of Houston.

Front of House Manager

497170 VC/VP, Admin & Finance-Office of Administration Full-Time
The Manager, Front of House oversees the technical and operational aspects of front-of-house and ticketing operations for Cullen Performance Hall. This position is responsible for building and managing events within the ticketing system, supporting event setup and execution, supervising front-of-house staff, and ensuring accurate and efficient ticketing operations. We are seeking a technically skilled, detail-oriented professional interested in growing with the venue and contributing to its long-term success.

Web Developer II

497110 Univ Marketing & Comm Division-Univ Marketing & Comm Division Full-Time
Supports a college or department website, including writing HTML documents, creating graphics, digitizing pictures, and inserting audio and video to enhance the look and feel of the website.

Assistant Vice President, Licensing & Trademarks

496981 Univ Marketing & Comm Division-Univ Marketing & Comm Division Full-Time
The Assistant Vice President of Licensing and Trademarks position within the Division of University Marketing and Communications leads the strategic management, protection and elevation of the UH System and University institutional marks in their deployment on commercial and retail consumer goods

Director of University Social Media

496404 Univ Marketing & Comm Division-Univ Marketing & Comm Division Full-Time
The Director of University Social Media serves as the lead social media strategist across the institution and is responsible for monitoring social media activity, content creation, and developing and executing comprehensive social media campaigns that advance the institution's goals.