Postdoctoral Research Associate - College of Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here!

Innovation. Interdisciplinary collaboration. Complex problem solving. In Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, faculty members, researchers, and students are revolutionizing focus areas in advanced manufacturing, bioengineering, computational engineering, energy and the environment, product design, and robotics. In addition, they are using their expertise in interdisciplinary research centers across the university.

Carnegie Bosch Fellowships are two-year awards supporting outstanding postdoctoral researchers conducting high-potential research within the excellence-driven environment of CMU. Offering benefits beyond ‘traditional’ postdoc roles, Fellows are provided with the resources, flexibility, and environment to address “grand challenge” style problems in line with their research vision together with their faculty host. Postdoctoral positions supported by CBI provide remarkable opportunities to shape the next generation of research while offering Fellows the chance to develop their academic careers in exceptional directions. Fellowship recipients are expected to broadly disseminate their research results via active engagement with the international research community in their respective fields and will be provided resources to aid with these efforts, e.g. conference registration + travel.

Carnegie Bosch Fellows are hosted within Colleges at CMU and provided with mentorship and direction from world-class faculty as well as access to industry-grade resources from Bosch. Specifically, Fellows are paired with a faculty host working to inspire and guide their overall research efforts, and benefit from the connection to an additional distinguished member of the senior faculty offering unique mentorship support. In addition, Fellows will be given the opportunity to be introduced to experts from the global Bosch Corporate Research organization, providing additional insight and counsel from an industrial perspective and sharing access to real-world challenges from domains including mobility and advanced manufacturing.

Research Areas:
Carnegie Bosch Fellowships are intended to support researchers working in the fields of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity/privacy, robotics and sustainability. A broad range of research interests within these four areas will be considered from theory to application.

• We particularly encourage proposals that explore cross-disciplinary topics that bridge these
• fields, for example (the following list is illustrative rather than exhaustive):
• Security and Privacy in Robotics
• Human factors in Robot Learning, e.g., Human-centric Learning from
• Demonstrations, Shared Autonomy, etc.
• Robotics and automation using sustainable materials and process workflows
• Agentic systems for robotics and control
• Energy-efficient machine learning and model compression
• Applications of AI for circular economies
• Sustainable AI for the smart home
• Intelligent residential energy aggregation for virtual power plants
• Trustworthy and transparent AI for critical infrastructure
• Resilient and secure AI for smart cities
• Data governance and responsible innovation across emerging technologies

Faculty Collaboration Hosts:
Carnegie Bosch Fellows are matched with world-class faculty at CMU that will serve as their primary hosts during the Fellowship. Applicants are encouraged to explore potential faculty hosts for various research areas via our directory. We highly recommend discussing collaboration opportunities and research interests with these faculty members before submitting your application. Any faculty interested in becoming a host can reach out to the CBI core team at: [email protected]

Candidates should include a brief Letter of Support from the prospective faculty host as indicated in the Application Requirements below.

Distinguished Faculty Mentors:
Carnegie Bosch Fellows will benefit from the unique opportunity to be mentored by pioneering leaders in their respective fields. Prof. Tom Mitchell (Founders University Professor in the School of Computer Science) will contribute his expertise in artificial intelligence, while Prof. Lorrie Cranor (Director and Bosch Distinguished Professor in Security and Privacy Technologies of the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute) will serve asma mentor in cybersecurity/privacy. Fellows will have the chance to meet regularly with these distinguished faculty, benefitting both from their deep technical knowledge as well as the experiences of their own exceptional academic careers.

Application Requirements:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Research Statement (maximum three pages), outlining a compelling long-term vision for a research program whose development would be supported by participation in the CBI Fellowship Program:
  • How will you use the time and resources provided by your Fellowship to advance this vision?
  • How will you take advantage of collaboration opportunities at CMU (and beyond)?
  • What will be the eventual impact of this research beyond the core technical results? How will it impact society in a transformative way (e.g., safety, efficiency, trustworthiness)?
  • Letter of Support (maximum one page) from prospective faculty collaboration host at CMU.
  • Letter of Support (maximum one page) from prospective faculty collaboration host at CMU

About the Carnegie Bosch Institute:
For 35 years, the Carnegie Bosch Institute (CBI) has embodied a world-class collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University and Bosch. This unique alliance fosters innovation at the intersection of business and technology through initiatives that advance cutting-edge research. At CMU, CBI supports the prestigious Carnegie Bosch Fellowship, funds groundbreaking research by faculty, staff, and students, and sustains Carnegie Bosch Chaired Professorships.

CBI’s work focuses on areas central to Carnegie Mellon’s strengths, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and privacy, robotics, and sustainability. Through research funding, proposal support, and the organization of high-impact scientific symposia, CBI continues to drive forward-thinking exploration and collaboration between academia and industry.

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance. 

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!

For a comprehensive overview of the benefits available, explore our Benefits page.

At Carnegie Mellon, we value the whole package when extending offers of employment. Beyond credentials, we evaluate the role and responsibilities, your valuable work experience, and the knowledge gained through education and training. We appreciate your unique skills and the perspective you bring. Your journey with us is about more than just a job; it’s about finding the perfect fit for your professional growth and personal aspirations.

Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!

Location

Job Function

Position Type

Full Time/Part time

Pay Basis

More Information: