Postdoctoral Associate - Advanced Sensemaking

Special Instructions to Applicants

All interested applicants should upload a CV or resume the application and a 1-page cover letter outlining their research background, technical expertise, and how their experience aligns with the research project. Please submit both items as PDFs to avoid any formatting issues with the application portal.

About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

About the Baker Institute

Founded in 1993, Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy is one of the premier nonpartisan public policy research organizations in the country. As an integral part of Rice University, the Baker Institute has a strong track record of achievement based on the work of its fellows, scholars, and staff. The institute collaborates with experts from academia, government, media, business, and nongovernmental and private organizations.

Position Summary

Rice University's Baker Institute is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar in Advanced Sensemaking as part of the Center for Advanced Space Sensing Technologies (CASST), a U.S. Space Force-funded Space Strategic Technology Institute led by Rice. CASST supports the development of novel remote sense technologies and advanced sensemaking capabilities to provide real-time information about space environments. The Postdoctoral Scholar will lead the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) models, datasets, compute workflows, and visualization tools to analyze quantum sensing and hyperspectral imaging data.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will be mentored by Baker Institute Fellow Kenneth Evans and work in close collaboration with CASST faculty from the Rice Space Institute, Weiss School of Natural Sciences, and the George R. Brown School of Engineering, as well as external partners at University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbara, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Aegis Aerospace.

Appointments will be for an initial 3-year appointment structured as a 1-year appointment, followed by two additional 1-year appointments commensurate with adequate performance and programmatic needs.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship, candidates must possess work authorization that will not expire or need renewal in the future.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. or other doctoral degree in computer science, computational physics, electrical engineering, or related fields

Skills

• Strong analytical, planning, and organizational abilities
• Ability to work independently with changing levels of oversight
• Ability to establish and maintain rapport with faculty and staff in an academic and professional setting
• Ability to work collaboratively with an existing team, managing multiple deadlines, and respond to a high volume of requests, including from CASST faculty and U.S. Space Force technical liaisons

Preferences

• Research interest and experience in one or more of the following areas is desirable: Reinforcement learning or adaptive decision systems; Computer vision, remote sensing, or geospatial analytics; GPU or high-performance computing workflows; Deployment of AI systems in resource-constrained environments; and Hyperspectral imaging and quantum sensing.
• Previous experience collaborating with engineering or operational research teams
• Demonstrated ability to write, publish, and communicate research, including proposal development and presentations at professional conferences

Essential Functions

• Research and build AI/ML models to support CASST sensemaking objectives
• Develop and manage datasets, compute workflows, and visualization tools that integrate results from quantum sensing, hyperspectral imaging, and compressive imaging research teams
• Contribute to technical reporting, program documentation, and research presentations
• Support the mentoring and training of junior research team members, including graduate and undergraduate students