PREP Research Associate
This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields. Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research.
Research Title: Machine Vision Engineer for PCB Inspection
The work will entail: NIST is investigating the performance of commercial and custom AI systems (hardware and software) for printed circuit board (PCB) inspection and manufacturing defect detection. The work will focus on conducting experiments, acquiring and analyzing data to understand these systems' performance, and generating data to train AI systems.
U.S. Citizen Preferred
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
â—� Develop AI/ML based image processing pipelines using Python/Pytorch and other relevant software modules in collaboration with other NIST researchers.
â—� Develop test rigs to acquire 2D and 3D images of PCBs and defective parts.
â—� Research the effects of various physical properties of an object and sensor settings on the AI metrics.
â—� Write reports and develop weekly presentations to discuss the progress of the project.
â—� Perform a literature review and market research of relevant algorithms, hardware and software.
â—� Education:
o Engineering majors with a Ph.D or master's degree (Ex: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, and/or Mechanical Engineering)
â—� PCB design and hardware:
o Experience with PCB layout and design software such as KiCad, DipTrace
o Experience with developing and inspecting PCBs
â—� AI/ML and computer vision:
o Experience using Python, PyTorch, and Tensorflow for developing AI/ML pipelines.
o Experience with OpenCV, MVTec HALCON, or Matlab Computer Vision Toolbox.
o Basic understanding of imaging sensors such as RGB and RGB-D cameras
o Experience with computer vision algorithms to perform object detection, data augmentation, and 2D/3D pose estimation
o Point cloud data processing, 2D and 3D imaging
â—� Experience with physics engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine and MuJoCo.
â—� Experience developing on both Windows and Linux platforms.
â—� Experience with CAD software such as SolidWorks and OnShape
Salary Range
The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.
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After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate’s conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.
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