Research Intern, Soft Robotics (PhD)

Job Description

Back to all jobs Facebook's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Through our family of apps and services, we're building a different kind of company that connects billions of people around the world, gives them ways to share what matters most to them, and helps bring people closer together. Whether we're creating new products or helping a small business expand its reach, people at Facebook are builders at heart. Our global teams are constantly iterating, solving problems, and working together to empower people around the world to build community and connect in meaningful ways. Together, we can help people build stronger communities — we're just getting started. Facebook's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Through our family of apps and services, we're building a different kind of company that connects billions of people around the world, gives them ways to share what matters most to them, and helps bring people closer together. Whether we're creating new products or helping a small business expand its reach, people at Facebook are builders at heart. Our global teams are constantly iterating, solving problems, and working together to empower people around the world to build community and connect in meaningful ways. Together, we can help people build stronger communities — we're just getting started. Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) is a world leader in the design of virtual reality systems. We are currently seeking innovative research interns with a passion for technology to develop next-generation soft robotic systems at our research location in Redmond, WA. These roles are focused on the research and invention of haptics, soft active materials, fluidic actuators, and novel manufacturing techniques. In particular, we welcome Masters or PhD students in robotics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, materials science, or similar field. Our internships are sixteen (16) to twenty-four (24) weeks long and we have various start dates throughout the year. RESPONSIBILITIES

• Research next generation soft haptic and robotic devices with an emphasis on both theory and physical embodiment of the new concepts.
• Application areas include: Characterization of electromechanical devices
• Phase-change fluids
• Materials synthesis for 3D printing
• Soft mechanism design (e.g. fluidic actuators)
• Sensor fusion
• Machine learning on embodied robotics
• Systems level soft robotics integration
• Cleanroom process development
• Micro- and Macro- fluidics characterization.
• The position will have an emphasis on fundamental scientific and engineering questions related to the still-unknown mechanisms of soft active materials to inform new concepts and the perceptual impact of those concepts.
• Collaborate with the larger Oculus Research team and provide creative leadership on soft robotics and active material technologies.
• The type of work should be publishable research results in top-tier journals and at leading international conferences in robotics and materials science.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment
• Interpersonal experience: cross-group and cross-culture collaboration
• Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining, a PhD degree in the field of Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 1+ years experience hardware prototyping, additive manufacturing, computational design and materials testing
• 1+ years experience with experimental robotics and conducting laboratory work (i.e., demonstrated ability to construct proof-of-concept systems and to evaluate performance)
• 2+ years experience with scientific programming languages such as Matlab, Python, Mathematica, or similar

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Intent to return to degree-program after the completion of the internship/co-op
• Demonstrated experience via an internship, work experience, or widely used contributions to open source projects
• Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by first-authored publications

Facebook is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected] . APPLY