{"id":1142654,"url":"https://alion.io/job/university-of-maryland-assistant-research-engineer-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-autonomous-systems","title":"Assistant Research Engineer (Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning - Autonomous Systems)","company":{"id":3379,"name":"University of Maryland","domain":"umd.edu","url":"https://alion.io/company/umd","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"is_intermediary":false,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":77,"open_postings":27,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.926,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":48,"computed_at":"2026-09-23T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["College Park, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":123000,"max_usd":265000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":2391},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Computer Vision","optional":false},{"name":"FastAPI","optional":false},{"name":"HPC","optional":false},{"name":"Knowledge Distillation","optional":false},{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Model Distillation","optional":false},{"name":"Multimodal AI","optional":false},{"name":"PyTorch","optional":false},{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"ROS","optional":false},{"name":"ROS2","optional":false},{"name":"Scikit-learn","optional":false},{"name":"Sensor Fusion","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-23T13:02:33Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-23","last_verified_at":"2026-09-23T16:50:13Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Job Description Summary\nOrganization's Summary Statement:The University of Maryland (UMD) Maryland Autonomous Technologies Research Innovation and eXploration Lab (MATRIX Lab) is an autonomous systems research, development, and education center operated by the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, located at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM) in St. Mary's County. The lab conducts cutting-edge research in autonomous technologies in partnership with federal sponsors, including the U.S. Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), as well as leading defense industry partners.The Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland serves as a catalyst for high-quality research, innovation, and learning, preparing students to address 21st-century grand challenges in energy, environment, security, and human health. The Clark School is dedicated to transforming the engineering discipline, accelerating entrepreneurship, and converting research and learning into innovations that benefit society.\nPosition Overview:\nThe Assistant Research Engineer (Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning - Autonomous Systems) conducts applied and translational research at the intersection of machine learning, multi-modal sensing, and autonomous systems at the MATRIX Lab. Reporting to Lab leadership and working in close collaboration with University of Maryland faculty, this position leads and supports the development of AI/ML-enabled capabilities across three primary mission domains: aerial autonomy (including GPS-denied uncrewed aerial system operations and maritime integration), underwater autonomy, and multi-modal sensing and perception. The position is a full-time research appointment, suited for a highly motivated researcher with a strong background in applied machine learning and autonomous systems who seeks to conduct impactful, defense-relevant research in a fast-paced lab environment. Please note this position is located at the MATRIX Lab facilities in California, MD.\nKey Responsibilities:\nRoles and responsibilities will vary by project and candidate expertise and may include:\nDeveloping end-to-end AI/ML systems for autonomous platforms, from technical problem formulation through training data selection and curation, model design and training, evaluation, and delivery of models into usable tools, workflows, and onboard vehicle capabilities, with a focus on computer vision, multi-modal perception, and reinforcement learning methods.\nApplying core ML theory and methods in practice for autonomous systems applications, including selecting appropriate modeling approaches, implementing baselines, conducting error analysis, and iterating on model performance using common libraries and frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, scikit-learn, ROS/ROS2).\nDesigning and implementing adaptive and uncertainty-aware learning methods, such as knowledge distillation, contextual learning, Gaussian Process-based active context selection, and policy optimization under uncertainty, to enable robust autonomous behavior across variable and degraded operational conditions.\nDeveloping and evaluating multi-modal sensing and sensor fusion architectures integrating RGB cameras, LiDAR, IMUs, acoustic sensors, etc. to support perception and decision-making for aerial, maritime, and underwater autonomous systems.\nDesigning, building, and executing controlled real-world experiments using MATRIX Lab testbed facilities (including the Omni-domain Autonomous Systems Integration Space (OASIS) and Hydrodynamics Lab) and developing quantitative evaluation pipelines to benchmark autonomous system performance across disturbance conditions and operational scenarios.\nDeploying and maintaining AI/ML systems in development and experimental environments, including version-controlled codebases, model packaging, simulation-to-real transfer workflows, and integration with onboard autonomy stacks on UAS, maritime, and underwater platforms.\nDeveloping interactive ML-enabled tools and decision-support applications for researchers and government end users, including back-end and front-end components as appropriate (e.g., FastAPI, React, or equivalent frameworks) to surface autonomous system outputs in usable, operator-facing formats.\nCollaborating with interdisciplinary teams including UMD faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, defense industry partners, and Navy program stakeholders to integrate AI/ML capabilities into broader autonomous systems and mission workflows.\nPreparing technical deliverables and briefings for government and industry stakeholders, translating complex research findings into clear, decision-relevant products such as reports, slide briefings, demonstration summaries, and white papers.\nLeading technical proposal writing and contributing to sponsored research proposals and technical work plans, including scoping technical approaches, estimating level of effort, identifying risks, and supporting engagement with federal sponsors such as ONR, NAWCAD, Air Force Research Laboratory, etc.\nMentoring graduate and undergraduate student researchers, providing technical guidance on AI/ML methods, experimental design, and research communication.\nPhysical Demands:\nThis position involves both office-based research computing and active participation in laboratory and experimental activities. The position requires the ability to work at a computer workstation for extended periods, operate and handle unmanned aerial vehicles and related experimental hardware in the OASIS and MATRIX Lab facilities, and safely work in environments with active robotics platforms, industrial fan arrays, and motion-capture instrumentation. Occasional travel to partner facilities, conferences, and naval test sites may be required.\nPreferences\nTechnical Background and Expertise\nAdvanced coursework, research experience, or demonstrated self-directed learning across multiple subfields of AI/ML, including areas such as computer vision, natural language processing, probabilistic modeling, or control theory, reflecting breadth beyond a single technical specialty.\nFamiliarity with the theoretical foundations underlying commonly used methods, such as information-theoretic principles, optimization landscapes, or statistical learning theory, enabling principled selection and adaptation of approaches across novel problem settings.\nExperience working at the intersection of software and hardware, including debugging integration issues between onboard compute, sensors, and autonomy stacks on physical platforms.\nExposure to safety-critical or real-time system constraints, such as latency requirements, fault tolerance, or graceful degradation under sensor failure, and how these shape algorithm and architecture choices.\nProgramming and Tools\nComfort working across the full development stack, from exploratory research and prototyping through production-quality implementation, testing, and handoff.\nExperience with collaborative software development practices including git-based workflows, code review, documentation, and reproducible experiment management.\nFamiliarity with containerized and cloud or HPC computing environments for large-scale model training and evaluation.\nResearch and Professional Skills\nTrack record of translating research outputs into tangible artifacts (e.g., open-source tooling, technical reports, demonstration systems, or transition-ready prototypes) beyond peer-reviewed publication alone.\nExperience briefing technical work to non-technical or mixed audiences, including government program managers, operational end users, or senior leadership.\nDemonstrated ability to scope and self-manage research tasks with limited supervision, including identifying when to go deep versus when to move on and seek collaborator input.\nDomain and Mission Awareness\nGeneral familiarity with the federal defense research and acquisition ecosystem, including an understanding of how university-based applied research connects to sponsor mission needs, transition pathways, and program objectives.\nAwareness of relevant ethical, legal, and policy considerations surrounding autonomous systems in defense contexts, including questions of human-machine teaming, rules of engagement compliance, and responsible AI principles.\nLicenses/Certifications:\nNA\nMinimum Qualifications\nEducation:\nM.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related field.\nA Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related field is preferred.\nExperience:\nDemonstrated record of peer-reviewed publication is required. Hands-on experience with physical autonomous vehicle platforms (aerial, ground, or marine) is required.\nOther:\nAbility to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team operating across concurrent sponsored projects.\nStrong written and oral communication skills, including demonstrated ability to author technical reports, conference papers, and journal articles.\nAbility to manage and prioritize research tasks across multiple active projects with competing deadlines.\nCommitment to responsible research conduct and sensitivity to a culturally and ethnically diverse academic and research community.\n• Must be eligible to work on U.S. government-sponsored defense research; U.S. citizenship or permanent residency preferred.\nAdditional Job Details\nRequired Application Materials: Cover letter, CV/resume, List of references\nBest Consideration Date: October 15, 2026\nPosting Close Date: October 22, 2026\nOpen Until Filled: N/A\nFinancial Disclosure Required\nNoFor more information on Financial Disclosure, please visit Maryland's State Ethics Commission website.\nDepartment\nENGR-A. James Clark School of EngineeringWorker Sub-Type\nFaculty RegularSalary Range\n$90,000 - $115,000Benefits Summary\nFor more information on Regular Faculty benefits, select this link.\nBackground Checks\nOffers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.\nEmployment Eligibility\nThe successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment.\nEEO Statement\nThe University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.\nTitle IX Non-Discrimination Notice\nResources\nLearn how military skills translate to civilian opportunities with O*Net Online\n\nSearch Firm Managed Recruitment\nThere are some positions that are not advertised on this career site as the search is being managed by a Search Firm.\nPlease visit the link below to see these available opportunities:\nSearch Firm Managed Vacancies","description_format":"text","description_chars":11789,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Education","Higher Education"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-23T13:02:33Z"}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":48,"reasons":["conf:1","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-09-23T18:10:34Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/university-of-maryland-assistant-research-engineer-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-autonomous-systems","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/university-of-maryland-assistant-research-engineer-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-autonomous-systems.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-23T18:10:34Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers"}}