Temporary Research Aide

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate (jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business), the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations--in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy--each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to address urgent global challenges and advance collaborative, research-driven approaches that support a more just and resilient future.

Purpose of the Position:

This Temporary Research Aide position supports faculty-led research under the supervision of Jenny Sabin as part of the URoL:EN NSF-funded project. The role is critical to advancing the next phase of material and fabrication testing, with a focus on robotic fabrication workflows and software development.

The position requires specialized technical knowledge and prior experience working within the lab environment, particularly in developing software tools that support robotic fabrication processes. This is a short-term, in-person appointment designed to ensure continuity and progress in a mission-critical phase of the research.

Duties and Responsibilities may include:

• Support the development and refinement of software tools for robotic fabrication systems, building on prior lab work and established workflows.
• Assist in implementing and testing computational methods and scripts used in material and fabrication processes.
• Contribute to the next phase of material and fabrication testing, ensuring accuracy and consistency with prior experimental results.
• Collaborate with faculty and research staff to integrate software outputs with physical fabrication systems and material experiments.
• Maintain and organize codebases, digital models, and related research documentation.
• Assist in analyzing results from robotic fabrication processes and preparing findings for internal review and academic dissemination.
• Provide technical and research support to ensure timely progression of project milestones.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:

• Demonstrated experience in robotic fabrication, computational design, or related technical fields.
• Proficiency or familiarity with programming and scripting languages (e.g., Python, C#, or similar) used in fabrication workflows.
• Experience working with digital modeling tools and fabrication technologies.
• Ability to work independently on technically complex tasks with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.
• Experience contributing to interdisciplinary research projects in a lab or academic setting.

Requirements:

• Prior experience in the Sabin Lab or similar research environment involving robotic fabrication systems.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to software development supporting fabrication processes.
• Familiarity with the URoL:EN NSF project or related research workflows strongly preferred.
• Ability to support both technical development and research execution in a collaborative environment.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills to support ongoing research activities.

Location: Ithaca Main Campus, 129 Sibley Hall, 921 University Ave, Ithaca, NY 14853

Supervisor: Jenny Sabin

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Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

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• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

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