Battelle/MIT Postdoctoral Associate Program

2017 Call for Applications

The Battelle Memorial Institute and MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering are inviting applications to the Battelle/MIT Postdoctoral Associate Program supporting innovative research with relevance to national security. We are particularly interested in proposals that emphasize fundamental research in year one, with the potential for reduction to practice in year two. Successful applicants will have access to Battelle advisors during the second phase who can assist with technology transfer challenges including ultimate transition to the commercial market. Stipend and allowances: Successful applicants will receive a stipend of of $65K/year, a competitive benefits package, and a discretionary fund of $5K to be used for travel and other expenses related to the proposed project.

Next Application Due Date: August 1st, 2017.

Duration: One year with the option to renew for a second year if Battelle reviewers and the sponsoring scientist are satisfied with progress.

Start Date: Start dates may vary depending on the availability of the applicant and sponsoring scientist. They typically will commence within three months after notification of selection.

Areas of Interest

Target areas of interest for the 2017/2018 academic year include, but are not limited to:

  • Autonomy, especially blended man-in-the-loop and autonomous system architectures and algorithms for low data rate / delay tolerant undersea applications of tele-operated dexterous manipulation.
  • “System of systems” for Autonomy architectures. Users will increasingly wish to take advantage of capabilities which sit in different autonomy architectures (and the vehicles being controlled by these autonomy architectures). Problem solutions demonstrating the benefits of integration of MOOS-IvP and Neptune would be highly desirable.
  • Undersea Acoustic Communications, particularly transducer and/or signal processing approaches for improving data capacity and/or range, including but not limited to, Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) processing, space-time processing and high-order modulation.
  • Undersea Optical Communications, including source and detector development, modulation schemes, and signal processing for improving data capacity and/or range of the optical link.
  • Investigation of Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions without the use of GPS in aerial, surface, and/or undersea environments.

How To Apply

Application Periods: Applications will be accepted twice per year, on February 1st and August 1st. If interested applicants do not have in mind a sponsoring scientist at MIT, they should submit one or two short proposed project descriptions, along with a CV, no later than two months prior to the application deadline. MIT will introduce possible sponsoring scientists from the faculty to qualified applicants.