The Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation CMI in Boston, MA is part of Fraunhofer USA, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit contract R&D organization, affiliated with Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Europe's largest contract R&D group. Fraunhofer USA CMI's interdisciplinary Energy Systems team is dedicated to serving the applied research needs of the sustainable energy community, helping established industry players and startup companies develop and deploy clean energy technologies. The Center has active projects in the areas of building energy systems, deep energy retrofits, and integrating renewable energy with the electric grid. For additional information please view our website at https://www.cmi.fraunhofer.org/en/services/energy-systems.html .

About the Position:

We seek a team member to work closely with senior members of the Energy Systems team to develop, test, and evaluate models and algorithms that enable digitalization of the deep energy retrofit design and delivery processes. You will also contribute to new project proposals and the design of field-testing experiments, as well as publication in top-tier journals and conferences. This position has a high degree of growth potential, and is an excellent opportunity for a talented analytically inclined engineer or scientist to address challenging problems that have a meaningful impact.

Specifically, the position will focus on developing computational algorithms that automatically convert laser scan point cloud data (position and color) from residential building exteriors into accurate geometric models. The methods may involve image processing techniques to segment data and machine learning techniques to classify the segments into different building elements (doors, windows, power meters, etc.).

Responsibilities:

• Develop algorithms for point cloud data pre-processing and edge/boundary extraction.
• Develop techniques for semantic segmentation of residential building point clouds into subgroups that contain building elements, e.g., siding, roof, window, door, power meter.
• In collaboration with other CMI researchers, develop a training set for building elements such as walls, doors, roofs, protrusions, intrusions and windows, and develop classification algorithms.
• Develop algorithms to convert the classified segments into accurate geometric representation of building elements to create a model of the building façade.
• Validate the developed algorithms using point cloud data and images and measurement from actual buildings.
• Contribute to and co-author reports and research papers that effectively communicate research findings to different audiences, as well as government and industrial proposals.

 

Required Education and Experience:

• Master’s or Ph.D. degree in related field with a focus on data processing or equivalent.
• Good understanding of and direct experience in Image Processing (e.g., image segmentation, edge detection) and Machine Learning (e.g., clustering, classification, neural networks) techniques.
• Experience with programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB) and databases.
• A strong interest in applying analytical techniques to “noisy” real-world problems and in learning new techniques.
• Building energy systems experience preferred but not essential.
• An excellent academic record.
• Ability to work effectively independently with limited oversight.

 

In your cover letter, please explain what motivates you to apply and succinctly describe your most germane work experience.

 

Fraunhofer USA is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer of individuals with disabilities, protected veterans and is a federal contractor and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Upon request, Fraunhofer USA will make accessible to applicants its Affirmative Action. VEVERRA and Section 503 Plans.

 

Apply Here!