Junior Specialist in the Department of Computer Science

at  University of California Santa Barbara

POSITION OVERVIEW

Position title: Junior Specialist
Salary range: The posted UC system-wide salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 24B for the salary range at UCSB. A reasonable estimate for this position at 100% time is $52,600-$65,000. “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.
Percent time: 100%
Anticipated start: July 1st, 2024
Position duration: One year

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Dr. Michael Beyeler, PI of the Bionic Vision Lab (http://bionicvisionlab.org) in the Departments of Computer Science and Psychological & Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara, invites applications from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented in computer science, for a full-time research software engineer position. The anticipated start date is July 1st, 2024, for a one-year term, with compensation aligned with UCSB’s salary scales.
The Bionic Vision Lab is an interdisciplinary group interested in exploring the mysteries of human, animal, and artificial vision. Our passion lies in unraveling the science behind bionic technologies that may one day restore useful vision to people living with incurable blindness (https://youtu.be/m2WXEjewqho).
To support our ongoing research initiatives, we are looking for someone who “can get things done”; that is, a dynamic individual who is eager to contribute to open-source software solutions (C#/shaders, Python) and work with a multidisciplinary team of researchers to rapidly prototype and iterate on innovative ideas (virtual/augmented reality, computer vision, robotics) to advance the lab’s research initiatives. This role is an excellent opportunity for those seeking to enrich their research experience (e.g., “gap year”), aiming for co-authorship, and enhancing their publication record in a supportive and flexible environment.
The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service as appropriate to the position.

Main job responsibilities include:

• Spearhead the development and prototyping of innovative software solutions to support the Bionic Vision Lab’s diverse research initiatives, with the potential to contribute to publications.
• Extend, enhance, and package our BionicVisionXR simulator (https://github.com/bionicvisionlab/BionicVisionXR; Unity, C#, shaders) by developing new functionalities that contribute to our groundbreaking research
• Engage in the prototyping of novel assistive technology for people who are blind, working at the intersection of augmented reality and sensor-based technology, and crafting software for the analysis of multimodal data
• Maintain and improve our open-source packages (e.g., https://github.com/pulse2percept/pulse2percept), ensuring their effectiveness and reliability for research purposes

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Basic Qualifications:

• The applicant must have a BA/BS or be enrolled in an undergraduate degree in computer science, engineering, robotics, or a related field is required at the time of application.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

The undergraduate degree is required by the start date.

• Experience contributing to software development projects (e.g., C/C++/C#, Python, and/or CUDA/shaders), including participation in team environments or open-source initiatives
• Familiarity with virtual or augmented reality platforms

Preferred qualifications

Preferred Qualifications:

• A demonstrated history of developing immersive virtual/augmented reality experiences
• A proven track record of contributing to production-level code in collaborative settings, including industry internships or open-source projects
• Experience writing software for integrated hardware components
• A keen interest in assistive technologies, neurotechnologies, and/or sight restoration
• The ability to work independently, efficiently, and comfortably in a multidisciplinary team environment; exceptional organization and problem-solving skills; attention to detail; excellent written and verbal communication; a strong work ethic.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Document requirements
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Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
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Cover Letter (Optional)
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Statement of Research (Optional)

REFERENCE REQUIREMENTS

• 3-5 required (contact information only)
  Applicants who advance to the “short list” will have their references contacted by the committee. Applicants are required to provide the names and contact information for a minimum of 3 references and may submit up to 2 additional optional references.Apply link: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02741
  Help contact: brookedwallace@ucsb.edu

• Spearhead the development and prototyping of innovative software solutions to support the Bionic Vision Lab’s diverse research initiatives, with the potential to contribute to publications.
• Extend, enhance, and package our BionicVisionXR simulator (https://github.com/bionicvisionlab/BionicVisionXR; Unity, C#, shaders) by developing new functionalities that contribute to our groundbreaking research
• Engage in the prototyping of novel assistive technology for people who are blind, working at the intersection of augmented reality and sensor-based technology, and crafting software for the analysis of multimodal data
• Maintain and improve our open-source packages (e.g., https://github.com/pulse2percept/pulse2percept), ensuring their effectiveness and reliability for research purpose