Sensor Physics and Signal Processing Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 27, 2026. First seen by Alion on Sep 2, 2026. The University of Southern Mississippi scores B on the Alion truth index.
Special Instructions to Applicants Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for visa sponsorship. The University will not sponsor applicants for work visas (e.g., H-1B). Job Summary The Sensor Physics and Signal Processing Engineer conducts engineering and applied physics research involving the development, implementation, and evaluation of signal processing techniques and physics-based sensing methods for autonomous underwater systems.
The position develops and evaluates acoustic, magnetic, and other sensing algorithms; characterizes sensor performance; and investigates the effects of environmental and operational conditions on sensing capabilities. Working collaboratively with multidisciplinary research and engineering teams, the position supports the development, testing, and transition of advanced sensing technologies that improve autonomous perception and decision-making at the Center for Ocean Enterprise. Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities Develops, implements, and evaluates signal processing algorithms for acoustic, magnetic, and other underwater sensing systems.
Characterizes sensor performance and evaluates the effects of environmental and operational conditions on sensing capability, data quality, and detection performance. Develops detection, filtering, feature extraction, and sensor characterization techniques to support autonomous underwater sensing and perception. Collaborates with AI/ML, software, autonomy, and systems engineering researchers to integrate sensing algorithms into edge-deployable autonomous systems.
Supports laboratory integration, simulation, pool testing, and open-water demonstrations involving autonomous underwater vehicles and advanced sensor payloads. Evaluates sensor performance through laboratory experiments, field-collected datasets, simulations, and modeling tools and documents findings through technical reports, publications, and presentations. Translates research findings into operational capabilities through the development, validation, and transition of sensing technologies for intelligent autonomous systems.
Maintains knowledge of advances in underwater sensing, signal processing, and applied sensor physics and applies emerging methods to improve sensing performance in operational environments.