"Research Assistant (HCI, Human-AI Collaboration)"

Job Description

Augmented Human Lab, at the Smart Systems Institute, National University of Singapore is seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to work on the co-design and development of human–robot collaboration interfaces for high-risk operational scenarios such as chemical spill response and urban search-and-rescue.

The Research Assistant will work on designing, prototyping, and evaluating interactive systems that integrate explainable on-device AI and small language models (SLMs) to support human operators in making faster, safer, and more confident decisions. You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, especially research fellows and industry partners.

This role is ideal for candidates interested in applied HCI research, rapid prototyping, user-centered design, and translational AI systems progressing from early-stage concepts toward system-level demonstrations.

Major responsibilities:

• Support requirements gathering with domain experts and industry collaborators, including field observations, interviews, and task analysis.
• Assist in the design of interfaces that promote shared mental models, transparency, and explainability in human–robot collaboration.
• Develop UI prototypes and interaction concepts through iterative user-centered design cycles with end-users.
• Run benchmarking experiments and user studies with human operators, including experimental setup, data collection, and post-trial analysis.
• Contribute to dissemination activities, including conference papers, posters, demos, and documentation.
• Participate actively in lab meetings, project reviews, and collaborative workshops with academic and industrial partners.

Qualifications

Experience and skills:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a reputable university in Computer Science, Engineering, HCI, or a related field.
• Strong programming experience in at least one of: Python, C/C++, Java, Swift.
• Familiarity with UI prototyping frameworks or mobile/interactive systems development.
• Experience working with experimental systems, data collection pipelines, and basic statistical analysis.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Following skills will be an added advantage

• Experience with human-centered design, usability testing, or interaction design for complex systems.
• Exposure to machine learning pipelines, deployment on edge devices, or embedded platforms.
• Familiarity with development environments and platforms such as VS Code, PyCharm, Xcode, Android Studio, or ADB tools.
• Experience with hardware prototyping platforms such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32, or similar microcontrollers.
• Knowledge of virtualization or containerization tools (e.g., Docker, VirtualBox, VMware).
• Experience with cloud or backend services such as AWS, Firebase, or similar platforms.
• Prior involvement in research projects progressing toward real-world deployment or technology translation.

Why join us

NUS is a world-class university that provides an outstanding and supportive research environment. Its School of Computing is highly ranked within the top 10 in the world. The Augmented Human Lab is an excellent environment with a diverse team (www.ahlab.org/people) which will accelerate your research career.

The initial term of appointment will be 1-year and renewable based on performance. The selected candidate will be offered competitive salaries and benefits.

How to Apply:

Email CV and a short statement of interest to A/Prof Suranga Nanayakkara scn@nus.edu.sg

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus