FELLOWSHIPS
AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR FIELD ROBOTICS (ACFR)
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
The Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney is currently seeking to fill two 3-year research fellowship positions associated with their marine robotics program.
ACFR SUPER SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP
REFERENCE NO. 1972/0710
The ACFR in collaboration with the School of Biological Sciences and the University of Tasmania has secured funding through the Australian Research Council Super Science Fellowship program to undertake fundamental research in the area of image classification and geospatial modelling and to see it applied to on-going programs supported by Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). The objectives of the successful project are to develop techniques for efficiently extracting scientifically relevant information for marine habitat assessment using high-resolution, integrated geo-spatial data collected by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems. The large volume of data being collected by these platforms requires automated techniques to bridge the gap between in-situ observations and the information ultimately needed for marine habitat monitoring. In particular, the use of machine vision and machine learning techniques to enhance the interpretation and annotation of imagery will be critical in avoiding bottlenecks associated with human analysis of seafloor images. There is therefore a requirement to bridge the gap between the in-situ observations and the information required to answer specific scientific questions concerning changes in marine habitats.
This position requires a PhD in a relevant field awarded not more than three years before the commencement date for the SSF as well as a demonstrated ability to work with data generated by robotic systems operating in real world environments. Ideally, you will have a strong background in classification, data mining, or spatial modeling under uncertainty, and an interest in the marine environment combined with an enthusiasm for working with members of the scientific community outside your immediate area of research.
ACFR LINKAGE FELLOWSHIP
REFERENCE NO. 1973/0710
The ACFR in collaboration with Thales Australia Pty Ltd has secured funding through the Australian Research Council Linkage program to develop algorithms and methods required to enable robotic platforms to perform repeatable, high-resolution surveys of marine environments. Extending the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) paradigm to operate reliably in a changing seascape will form the basis for autonomous long-term monitoring with minimal additional navigation infrastructure. This capability has the potential to dramatically improve the accuracy and efficiency of detecting and quantifying changes in marine environments.
This position requires a PhD in a relevant field as well as a demonstrated ability to see your research integrated on real robotic systems. Ideally, you will have a strong background and experience working with oceanographic instrumentation, AUVs or other advanced robotic systems. Experience in software development and precision navigation and mapping or pattern recognition systems will also be considered an asset.
Visit www.sydney.edu.au/positions and search by the reference number for more information and to apply.
CLOSING DATE: 15 September 2010
