Postdoctoral Fellow – On-Premise Computing for Autonomous Vehicles

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Position Details

Department/Area: Electrical Engineering / Computer Engineering / Computer Science

Location: Cambridge, MA

Appointment: 1-year postdoc with optional second year (based on performance and funding)

Start Date: Expected January 1, 2022 (likely a typo; confirm actual 2026 start)

Salary Range: $67,600 – $91,826 annually

Project Overview

The project focuses on high-performance deep neural network (DNN) systems for autonomous vehicles (AVs), specifically for SWaP-constrained (size, weight, and power) platforms, using hybrid electro-photonic accelerators. The goal is to:

• Develop and prototype an end-to-end electro-photonic computing system (CPUs + accelerators)
• Integrate the system with AV sensors (RADAR, LIDAR, cameras, ADAS)
• Demonstrate real-time perception, mapping, and planning
• Ultimately deploy the system on a fully autonomous buggy

Collaborators: Harvard University (Prof. Vijay Janapa Reddi), Boston University (Prof. Ajay Joshi), Lightmatter (Dr. Darius Bunandar)

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with graduate students and engineers across Harvard, BU, and Lightmatter
• Conduct research and publish in top-tier conferences
• Present research at conferences, universities, and companies
• Develop new research directions and contribute to grant proposals

Qualifications

Required:

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science
• Expertise in at least one of the following:
  • Computer Architecture/Systems: Design, modeling, simulation of heterogeneous or photonic system architectures
  • Machine Learning Algorithms/Systems: ML design and application to computing systems
  • Autonomous Vehicles/Systems: AI integration and evaluation for AVs, familiarity with AV simulators and stack

Preferred / Additional:

• Expertise in two or more areas above
• Hands-on experience with design and prototyping of complete computing systems

Application Materials

• Curriculum Vitae with publications
• Cover Letter summarizing fit for project and career goals
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• References: Minimum 2, Maximum 5

Contact: Sarah Gayer – sgayer@g.harvard.edu

This is a highly interdisciplinary postdoc combining computer architecture, machine learning, and autonomous vehicle systems, ideal for candidates with strong research experience in any combination of these areas and an interest in cutting-edge photonic computing.