Research Associate - CARTE (12 Month Term)

Date Posted: 09/22/2026
Req ID: 50281
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Department: Dept of Mechanical & Industrial Eng
Campus : St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Existing Vacancy: Yes

Description:

About Us:

The Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering is home to about 60 professors leading research on a very broad range of topics. On the Industrial Engineering side, research areas include Operations Research, Information Engineering, Human Factors, and Applied Machine Learning, all of which seek to improve the systems we as humans rely on to navigate our world. On the Mechanical Engineering side, research areas include Robotics, Mechanics & Design, Materials, and Thermofluids, topics that are applied to applications including manufacturing, energy production, and bioengineering.

We are also home to about 2,000 very talented students: about 1,300 undergraduates are enrolled in the Industrial Engineering and in the Mechanical Engineering BASc programs. We have about 350 Master of Engineering (MEng) students, a professional program for students taking courses with us for a year or two. And we have about 350 MASc and PhD students, who work individually on research projects with a particular professor.

Your Opportunity:

The Centre for Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering (CARTE), housed in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, brings together faculty and students from across engineering disciplines to advance applied research, education, and industry partnerships in data analytics and artificial intelligence. CARTE conducts applied AI/ML research through industry-partnered projects in domains including engineering, urban systems, healthcare, and energy, and translates that research into customized non-credit AI/ML training programs for international industry and government partners, for the Faculty’s graduate students, and for its researchers. CARTE is currently looking for a research associate with deep AI/ML expertise, strong communication ability, and initiative to play a leading role in the Centre’s applied research projects and in the training programs that arise from them.

The Research Associate position will work under the supervision of the Director of CARTE to

• Develop and execute research vision with PI to achieve research goals.
• Conduct applied AI/ML research arising from CARTE’s industry-partnered projects and programs, prepare manuscripts for publication, prepare technical reports for partners, and contribute to research funding proposals led by CARTE faculty affiliates
• Provide technical leadership for the applied research projects undertaken with CARTE’s partner cohorts, acting as the main technical point of contact for each cohort from academic and technical onboarding through project completion, and coordinating the graduate student mentors who support individual project teams
• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and mentorship to graduate students and interns working on CARTE projects
• The research associate is expected to publish both at conferences and in journals
• Develop and maintain training materials for programming related to CARTE

Qualifications

Education

• Ph.D. degree in computer science, engineering, statistics, or related fields with emphasis on machine learning and artificial intelligence or acceptable combination of equivalent education and/or experience.

Experience

• Academic or professional experience of at least two (2) years in applied AI/ML, as a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, researcher, or practitioner
• Experience with practical AI/ML projects implementable in the real world
• Experience in conducting collaborative research, presentations to technical audiences, and preparing manuscripts for academic publications
• Experience training students in academic or professional settings, including designing and delivering workshops, bootcamps
• Experience leading technical projects, including guiding students or junior team members
• Experience working with industry or external partners on applied projects preferred

Skills

• Deep understanding of machine learning paradigms and various algorithms, models, and validation techniques, including current large language model methods and tooling
• Proficiency in Python and the current machine learning ecosystem (for example, PyTorch and scikit-learn)
• Knowledge of the broader field of artificial intelligence (natural language processing, computer vision, optimization, and statistics)
• Ability to translate a partner’s problem statement into a scoped project or workshop and to judge what is technically feasible in the time available
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to explain AI/ML methods to audiences with varied technical backgrounds
• Ability to initiate, refine, and complete projects with minimal guidance while contributing to several projects concurrently
• Strong technical and analytical skills with a record of research output, such as peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or open-source contributions
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and the promotion of a respectful and collegial learning and work environment.

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Eager to learn
• Resourceful
• Goal oriented
• Meticulous
• Problem solver
• Self-directed
• Comfortable working in a small team with a broad remit, including in-person delivery in Toronto

Closing Date: 10/06/2026,11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Research Associate
Personnel Subarea: Research Assoc
Appointment Type : Grant - Term
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: R01 -- Research Associates (Limited Term): $53,520 - $100,350
Job Category: Engineering / Technical