School of Computer Science

Location:  Lincoln
Salary:   From £33,797 per annum
This is a full time post and is fixed term for 16 months
Closing Date:   Sunday 01 December 2019
Interview Date:   Monday 16 December 2019

The University of Lincoln is seeking to appoint a Research Associate. The position is funded by the Ceres Agri-Tech Knowledge Exchange Partnership, which aims to build a second-generation robotic with advanced stereovision in conjunction with a novel high tack surface gripper/end effector. 

In our previous project, a UoL team, that included LMF Mushrooms and Stelram Engineering, successfully built a picking prototype robot that can pick individual upright mushrooms with minimal damage. The system was operated by a combination of novel soft robotic actuators and an advanced tracking system driven by powerful 3D perception algorithms. The problem that this project will try to solve is picking mushrooms that grow in highly complex and biologically variable clusters. There is a lack of a simple universal grasping actuator to pick mushrooms without damage, as well as the need to develop powerful 3D perception algorithms to target mushrooms and to integrate this into motion planning and control systems. This project will attempt to solve these issues by highly novel soft robotic actuators deployed in combination with advanced guidance and tracking systems operating within a 3D vision sensed environment.

This project has the potential to change the mushroom sector and the application of soft robotics combined with novel tracking algorithms has the capability to underpin the wider deployment of RAS in multiple sectors of food and manufacturing.

We are looking to recruit a Research Associate specialised in the following:

• An understanding of 3D reconstruction from multi camera images and multi depth sensors.
• Developing a machine-learning algorithm for mushroom orientation estimation.
• Develop an algorithm to automate picking plan for mushroom clusters.
• Software engineering in robotics.
• An understanding of graph optimisation 

Applicants should have, or expect to soon obtain, a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant area. You must have excellent mathematical and coding skills (C++/Python, ROS). The Research Fellowship offers the opportunity to engage in international collaboration within an ambitious team, to work with state-of-the-art computer vision, robotic hardware and software, and to benefit from excellent support to produce and disseminate original research contributions in the leading international conferences and journals.

The successful candidate will contribute to the University's ambition to achieve international recognition as a research-intensive institution and will be expected to design, conduct and manage original research in the above subject areas as well contribute to the wider activities of Lincoln School of Computer Science. Evidence of authorship of research outputs of international standing is essential, as is the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, including excellent written and spoken communication skills. Opportunities to mentor and co-supervise PhD students working in the project team will also be available to outstanding candidates.

Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Dr Bashir Al-Diri (email: baldiri@lincoln.ac.uk)