What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Researcher position at College of Forestry at Oregon State University?
Postdoctoral Scholar – Autonomous Under-Canopy Drone Systems
Advanced Forestry Systems Laboratory (AFSL)
College of Forestry, Oregon State University
The Advanced Forestry Systems Laboratory (AFSL) at Oregon State University is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar to develop next-generation autonomous under-canopy drone systems for precision forestry. The research focuses on enabling UAVs to operate autonomously in GNSS-denied forest environments using advanced robotics, AI, and multi-sensor perception.
Research Focus
* Autonomous UAV navigation in forest environments
* Visual-LiDAR-Inertial SLAM
* AI-based perception and obstacle avoidance
* Sensor fusion (LiDAR, cameras, IMU, GNSS)
* Forest digital twins and 3D mapping
* Autonomous forest inventory and environmental monitoring
Required Qualifications
* Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Forestry Engineering, Remote Sensing, AI, or a related field.
* Strong programming skills in C and Python.
* Experience with ROS2, autonomous robotics, or UAV systems.
* Experience in one or more of the following:
* Computer Vision (OpenCV, Deep Learning)
* LiDAR/Visual SLAM
* AI and Machine Learning (PyTorch or TensorFlow)
* Sensor Fusion and State Estimation
* PX4/ArduPilot and autonomous flight systems
Preferred Qualifications
* Under-canopy UAV navigation
* LiDAR point cloud processing
* NVIDIA Jetson or edge AI computing
* Outdoor robotics and field experiments
* Scientific publications in robotics, AI, or autonomous systems
Why Join AFSL?
* Develop cutting-edge autonomous drone technologies for forestry.
* Access state-of-the-art UAV, LiDAR, and sensing platforms.
* Collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers in robotics, AI, and precision forestry.
* Publish high-impact research and contribute to nationally and internationally funded projects.