TITLE: Cornell Postdoc Position in Human-Robot Collaboration

RESEARCH GROUP: HRC^2 Lab

SUPERVISOR: Prof. Guy Hoffman (hoffman@cornell.edu)

LOCATION: Ithaca, NY, USA; remote option available for the near future

TIMELINE:

  • Applications received by 5 Feb. 2021 will be fully considered. Applications will continue to be reviewed until position is filled.
  • Starting date: 1 Apr. 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.
  • Duration: One year, with possibility for extension to second year.

DESCRIPTION:

As part of a National Robotics Initiative (NRI) project on collaborative wearable robotics, we are seeking a postdoc interested in algorithms for fluent human-robot coordination. The project includes developing probabilistic inference and decision-making methods for robots that have the added uncertainty and safety considerations of being worn by a human. The research can be broader than just wearable robotics, and can include any theoretical, computational, and systems contribution related to human-robot coordination and collaboration in general.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • CS / MechE / ECE Ph.D with experience in AI for human-agent interaction and/or robotics, with preference for human-robot interaction
  • Preferred: Experience in [or keen interest to learn about] working on physical robotic systems
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Ability to work independently and make decisions
  • Strong initiative and idea-generating approach
  • Excited to tackle challenges and learning opportunities
  • Professional communication skills

RESPONSIBILITIES:

You will be responsible for conducting high-quality computational HRI research (modeling, algorithm development, simulation, implementation on physical systems) leading to publication. You will also contribute to reports for funding agencies. If interested, there are opportunities to collaborate on research grant proposal writing.

EXPECTED MENTORING OUTCOMES:

You can expect to be supported and mentored in your research, presentation, and writing skills. You will have broad freedom to explore and pursue your own research interests or to focus on extending an existing research project at the lab. You can expect to be involved in paper reviews and program committees to help broaden your academic network.

APPLICATION:

Please send a short email to Prof. Hoffman with the following attachments.

  • CV
  • Link to list of publications
  • Two representative publications (at least one journal paper)
  • Contact information for two references (may be contacted after initial interview with candidate)

Please focus on the above items and do not spend time on formalities such as a cover letter, research statement, etc.

Feel free to contact Prof. Hoffman with any questions you may have en route to your application. You may also find it useful to contact any of his current or past research group members for more information.

TITLE: Cornell Postdoc Position in Human-Robot Collaboration

RESEARCH GROUP: HRC^2 Lab

SUPERVISOR: Prof. Guy Hoffman (hoffman@cornell.edu)

LOCATION: Ithaca, NY, USA; remote option available for the near future

TIMELINE:

  • Applications received by 5 Feb. 2021 will be fully considered. Applications will continue to be reviewed until position is filled.
  • Starting date: 1 Apr. 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.
  • Duration: One year, with possibility for extension to second year.

DESCRIPTION:

As part of a DARPA project on teamwork, we are seeking a postdoc interested in developing probabilistic models of trust in teamwork. This project includes building and evaluating Bayesian models, running experiments, and analyzing complex experimental data. This is a highly collaborative project involving many researchers from around the US, and is therefore most appropriate for a candidate who enjoys collaboration and communication.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • CS / InfoSci / Data Science / Psych Ph.D with experience in probabilistic models, with preference for human-agent interaction
  • Preferred: Experience in [or keen interest to learn about] programming experimental testing environments
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Ability to work independently and make decisions
  • Strong initiative and idea-generating approach
  • Excited to tackle challenges and learning opportunities
  • Professional communication skills

RESPONSIBILITIES:

(1) You will be responsible for conducting high-quality experimental research (modeling, developing simulation testbeds, running experiments, and data analysis) leading to publication. (2) You will also contribute to reports for funding agencies. If interested, there are opportunities to collaborate on research grant proposal writing. (3) You will assist in supervising the research of graduate and undergraduate students, and participate in working groups with other researchers on the project. (4) You will be expected to make presentations to sponsors and collaborators in these working groups.

EXPECTED MENTORING OUTCOMES:

You can expect to be supported and mentored in your research, presentation, and writing skills. You will have broad freedom to explore and pursue your own research interests or to focus on extending an existing research project at the lab. You can expect to be involved in paper reviews and program committees to help broaden your academic network.

APPLICATION:

Please send a short email to Prof. Hoffman with the following attachments.

  • CV
  • Link to list of publications
  • Two representative publications (at least one journal paper)
  • Contact information for two references (may be contacted after initial interview with candidate)

Please focus on the above items and do not spend time on formalities such as a cover letter, research statement, etc.

Feel free to contact Prof. Hoffman with any questions you may have en route to your application. You may also find it useful to contact any of his current or past research group members for more information.

The invited talks from the 1st workshop on supernumerary devices are now on a playlist on the HRC2  YouTube channel. The workshop was organized as part of the 2020 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM 2020). Lead organizer was PhD student Vighnesh Vatsal along with Ryder Winck from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Guy Hoffman.

HRC2  student Michael Suguitan was highlighted in the recent selection of the Cornell Commercialization Fellowship Program. His project, Blossom, also received an NSF I-Corps award.

To quote the recently published Cornell Chronicle Story, “commercialization fellowship program helps engineering doctoral students explore the market potential for their research. Each student will spend a fully funded summer and semester learning about intellectual property, marketing, product development, fundraising and other areas from entrepreneurship experts in industry and academia.”

Prof. Hoffman’s proposal to study human and machine improvisation was selected as one of three fully-funded projects for Cornell’s New York City Visioning initiative.

A collaboration with music professor Mianthi Paplexandri-Alexandri, the project will extend the state-of-the-art in artificial intelligence and music improvisation and promote interdisciplinary conversations through improv workshops with the International Contemporary Ensemble and Theater in Manhattan, a course on improvisational sound machines, and public performances.

Our DIS paper “Negotiating the Creative Space in Human-Robot Collaborative Design” (with Prof. Malte Jung) has been selected as an award recipient for DIS. The paper has received a Honourable Mention for Best Paper award! Congraulations to authors Matt Law, JiHyun Jeong, and Amrit Kwatra.

Opinion/Analysis article published in IEEE Spectrum by Prof. Hoffman following the shutdown of Anki’s Cozmo and Vector product lines. Long-term engagement remains the main challenge, and artists and designers might be the solution.

Our observational study on how human designers work with a robotic assistant (a collaboration with Prof. Malte Jung) was accepted to the 2019 Designing Interactive Systems conference in San Diego. Congraulations to authors Matt Law, JiHyun Jeong, and Amrit Kwatra.

Our collaborative research project with Prof. Ori Heffetz and his team at Hebrew University on competing with robots raises interest in the national and international press. Check out the latest coverage and the full paper publishes last week at the HRI conference.


(Source: Cornell Brand Communications)

HRC2 graduate students Yuhan Hu and Michael Suguitan win two awards at the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction