ROBOTICS SOFTWARE ENGINEER

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The Ocean Engineering (OE) team at the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington is hiring – see yourself at APL!

The Applied Physics Laboratory is a research unit at the University of Washington. Our research expertise is in ocean physics and engineering, ocean and medical acoustics, polar science, environmental remote sensing, and signal processing. We conduct research and development that is sponsored by a variety of federal and state agencies, and take great pride in our long-standing status as a US Navy-designated University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Our work takes place not only on the University of Washington campus and medical centers, but in field locations around the world – at sea, in the air, and on polar ice caps. We apply rigorous scientific inquiry and engineering excellence in pursuit of solutions to important problems for the good of our region, nation, and world.

Diversity is a core value at University of Washington and the Applied Physics Laboratory shares this commitment. We are focused on building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable research environment for all students, staff, and collaborators. We believe every member on our team enriches our community by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions.

The Ocean Engineering (OE) department within the APL conducts engineering design, development, and field operations in support of fundamental and applied research programs sponsored by Federal, State, local and private entities. The work of the Applied Physics Laboratory is innovative. Our sponsors seek novel solutions to research problems, at times within tight timeframes for response. The platforms we create may be the first of their kind. There may not be reference points in existing technology for our work, or the way our sponsors wish to apply existing technology.

The technology we create is often deployed in remote locations which cannot be readily accessed. For example, an instrument may be deployed at sea, at depths of 2000 meters, and, the environmental conditions in which our instruments are deployed are typically harsh, for example, in salt water (which degrades materials and causes electronics to malfunction), at depth in the sea (where the effects of pressure on instruments is much more intense than on land), or around polar ice caps (subject to extreme cold temperatures, freezing and thawing). Not only must we design and fabricate instruments with great precision and reliability, we must also ensure they will function with high reliability under very hostile conditions.

The Applied Physics Laboratory has an outstanding full time opportunity for a Robotics Software Engineer.

This Robotics Software Engineer supports the design, development, and deployment of sensors and platforms to extend the capabilities of underwater robotics.  This position will be primarily funded from a range of Federal sponsors (e.g., the Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the Naval Facilities Engineering Command).

The person selected for this Robotics Software Engineer role will be a part of a dynamic team that supports APL’s wide-reaching research enterprise. Your expertise will enable the success of researchers who are clearing hazardous seafloor debris from coastal areas, developing ultrasound technologies that advance medical care, conducting fieldwork on glaciers, polar regions, and the world’s oceans, and performing robotic exploration beneath oceanic ice shelves and on space missions.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent will complete discrete tasks for which the PI has closely defined the scope and steps necessary for successful completion. This position and the PI may each take responsibility for portions of a project and solve the research problem through their combined efforts.