Research Associate 1 - Civil Engineering (Finance)
Department: Civil Engineering Salary: Commensurate with Experience/Education
Description:
Works under the direction of a faculty member. Provides expertise in the design, operation and analysis of experiments or research projects in areas such as chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, optometry, all fields of engineering, etc. May prepare samples for testing. Performs advanced testing procedures and performs analyses of data. Prepares reports. Makes uses of a variety of specialized equipment typical within area of specialization. May contribute to grant proposal development.
1. Ensures experiments or research efforts are performed according to specifications.
2. May make recommendations to changes in procedures, processes, or experimental design.
3. May prepare and/or edit research papers, proposals and reports.
4. Possesses, understands, and applies a comprehensive knowledge that crosses fields of specialization. Understands and uses effective management techniques.
5. Designs, operates and analyzes large experiments or research projects.
6. May serve as liaison with other areas of specialization to obtain support or technical expertise for projects.
7. Recommends major changes in procedures or processes for research investigations. May personally conduct important and/or technically complex investigations.
8. Operates with considerable latitude for unreviewed action.
9. Provides direction and supervision of graduate or undergraduate research assistants involved in experiments or research.
Responsibilities
• Design and implement machine learning and computer vision algorithms
• Build tools for photogrammetric 3D reconstruction and defect detection
• Evaluate and refine AI models using annotated data and real-world image datasets
• Conduct full stack development efforts including UI/UX, code maintenance, and deployment pipelines
• Perform other duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in computer science, electrical engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, or a related field
• Strong Python programming skills
• 0-2 years practical software engineering experience
• Practical experience with computer vision, ML, or 3D scene understanding
• Ability to work collaboratively across technical teams
• US Citizen or Permanent Resident
Preferred
• Master's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, or a related field
• Experience with photogrammetry, LiDAR alignment, or large-scale 3D data, and deep learning-based 3D vision and graphics
• Familiarity with image annotation tools and dataset iteration workflows
• Contributions to open-source, research publications, or production ML systems
MQ: Ph.D. Degree with 1 year of experience.
All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.
The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.
