A postdoctoral position will be available beginning summer/fall 1996
on a multidisciplinary research project to design, construct, and evaluate
active sensing and adaptive motor control systems for legged robots using
insights provided by insect neurobiology. The project involves the
design and development of a mantis-like hexapod robot that will include:
* distributed DSP-based real time neural controller hardware
* active vision system using a new type of omnifocus imaging camera
* sensory feedback from leg mechanosensors for agile locomotion
The goal is to develop neurally-inspired control systems for carrying out
visually guided behaviors in environments that may include obstacles and
irregular terrain.
The ideal candidate would have a computational neuroscience background
with practical hands-on experience in several of the following areas:
neural modeling and simulation, robotics, computer vision, neurophysiology,
biomechanics, adaptive signal processing and adaptive control, digital signal
processing, electronics design, high-level and assembly language programming,
artificial neural network algorithms, and genetic algorithms.
The successful candidate should be comfortable working at the interface
between neurobiology and engineering, and must be committed to fostering
the exchange of ideas between these domains. The job will involve
participating in and coordinating research efforts between the laboratories
of Dr. Mark Nelson (neural controller development and hardware implementation)
and Dr. Narendra Ahuja (active vision system and associated computational
algorithms). Numerous opportunities exist for innovative projects that
build on particular strengths that the applicant might bring to the project,
such as incorporation of analog VLSI based subsystems, or the use of genetic
algorithms for biologically-constrained optimization of neural controller
architectures.
For more information see:
Nelson Lab - http://soma.npa.uiuc.edu/labs/nelson/nelson.html
Ahuja Lab - http://uirvli.ai.uiuc.edu/lab/
Beckman Institute - http://www.beckman.uiuc.edu/
or contact
Mark Nelson (m-nelson@uiuc.edu)
Narendra Ahuja (n-ahuja@uiuc.edu)
Applicants should submit a cover letter outlining their research experience
and interests, a curriculum vitae, and the names of three references to:
Dr. Mark E. Nelson, Beckman Institute, Univ. of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews,
Urbana, IL 61801. Applications should be received by April 30, 1996.
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