Postdoctoral Associate

Job Title

Postdoctoral Associate – Community‑Centered Physical AI for Smart Urban Management (1-year appointment)

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate – Community‑Centered Physical AI for Smart Urban Management to contribute to a 1‑year research agenda on community‑centered physical AI for smart urban management, with a focus on human‑robot interaction in real‑world urban environments. The postdoctoral researcher will support the design, deployment, and evaluation of physical AI systems with conversational capabilities operating on campus and neighboring urban settings, and will examine how people perceive, trust, and interact with physical AI in public spaces.

The successful candidate will join the Smart Cities for Good research group in the Department of Geography at Virginia Tech. This position is co‑supported by Virginia Tech’s Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) and the College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE)/Department of Geography.

Smart Cities for Good is a research group dedicated to addressing urban social and environmental challenges through human‑centered, AI‑powered smart city technologies. The project is led by Dr. Junghwan Kim, PhD, MUP, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Virginia Tech and Director of Smart Cities for Good.

• Designing and evaluating physical AI deployments in campus and urban environments.
• Conducting human‑robot interaction and public perception studies.
• Publishing peer‑reviewed research and preparing project reports.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary researchers.
• Mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.
• Participating in proposal development.
• Limited teaching or guest lecturing opportunities, as appropriate.
• Co‑develop a mentoring plan at the start of the appointment to align research activities with the postdoctoral researcher’s long‑term career goals.

• Ph.D. in Geography, Urban Planning, Engineering, Computer Science, Human‑Computer Interaction, or a closely related field. Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree must be awarded no more than four years prior to the effective date of appointment with a minimum of one year eligibility remaining.
• Demonstrated record of original research and publication in peer‑reviewed journals.

• Appointment Duration:
  One‑year appointment with the possibility of a one‑year extension contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funds.
• Salary: $65,000.
• Hours per week: 40.
• Overtime Status:
  Not eligible for overtime.
• Appointment Type:
  Restricted.
• Position Open until filled.

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If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Karen Bland at kbland during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.