IMAGE project hiring!

We are seeking two part-time (20 hours/week) Research Assistant/Core Developers to take on a research & development role in the Shared Reality Lab's open source IMAGE project, focused on making photos, charts, and maps available to people who are blind or low vision. We have funding pending for a one-year project with Humanware, a leading provider of solutions for people who are blind or low vision, to prototype compelling experiences for users of their upcoming Monarch Android pin array tablet.

ML Architect

You will be responsible for researching, selecting, and integrating machine learning components into the IMAGE server architecture to enable the team's designers and developers to create compelling end-user experiences on the Monarch.

Key responsibilities include:

• Proactively seek out machine learning tools and components that will provide useful information, including traditional models, as well as integrating LLM components.
• Where necessary, build customized ML models, and integrate them for deployment.
• Review and revise the existing IMAGE machine learning components to optimize for efficiency/scalability and quality of results.
• Document and create example code to help others use the IMAGE platform efficiently.
• Review and merge code from students and other team members.
• Contribute to academic publications resulting from work on the project.

Education / Experience: Master's degree preferred, but applications are also welcome from self-taught candidates with industry experience

Requirements (we expect that qualified candidates will not match with all of these, so please apply, regardless, since we can likely assist you with coming up to speed in some areas):

• Solid command of the current machine learning landscape in terms of deployable models, cloud services, and LLMs, to be able to find and integrate solutions focused on extracting information from photographs and diagrams (e.g., scientific textbook figures).
• Experience deploying machine learning tools in a production environment
• Experience with inferencing, and not just model building, including profiling, optimizing and scaling machine learning solutions to meet performance and quality targets.
• Linux command line
• Familiar with (or able to quickly learn) Docker, containerization, network layer designs, client/server design
• Git, and Github flow method of raising and merging pull requests
• Testing and deployment (e.g., github actions, CI/CD pipelines, code review)
• Python
• JSON schema definition
• Mentoring junior designers/developers
• Quebec resident (mandatory)
• Bonus: able to work on-site at McGill at least one day/week
• Bonus: Experience writing conference and journal papers and presenting results in academic venues
• Bonus: French, spoken and/or written
• Bonus: Experience working with the blind/low vision community

Core Server-Side R&D for IMAGE Project

You will work with a multidisciplinary team of user experience researchers, designers, and developers who will support you in designing and implementing server-side support for the features in our statement of work. You will primarily work with the existing development lead to partition the work based on your skills and interests.

Key areas include:

• Work with lead developer and machine learning architect to design, implement, integrate, and test code that extracts useful information from visual media (photos, textbook diagrams, etc) and puts it in a JSON format for use in implementing end-user audio and haptic experiences.
• Design and implement code that automatically creates end-user experiences for the Monarch device, working with graduate students and other researchers to help them turn their prototypes into deployable solutions.
• Document and create example code to help others use the IMAGE platform efficiently.
• Maintain project test and production Linux servers, and assist team members with issues in testing and deployment. Create and maintain usage metrics and generate regular reports.
• Fix bugs as raised by team members and end users.
• Review and merge code from students and other team members.
• Take on additional development tasks from current developer lead, on an as-needed basis.
• Contribute to academic publications resulting from work on the project.

Education / Experience: Bachelor's degree preferred, but applications are also welcome from self-taught candidates with industry experience

Other Qualifying Skills and Abilities: The ideal candidate would have a solid technical foundation that will allow them to creatively and proactively contribute to strengthening the IMAGE platform in multiple areas. Although we list many requirements below, we do not expect the candidate to be expert in all of them. If you are weak in some areas, but are a quick learner, please apply, since we can work with you to fill in specific gaps.

Requirements:

• Software architecture, design, and documentation, including creating usable solutions for developers designers
• Linux command line
• Familiar with (or able to quickly learn) Docker, containerization, network layer designs, client/server design
• Git, and Github flow method of raising and merging pull requests
• Testing and deployment (e.g., github actions, CI/CD pipelines, code review)
• Python
• Javascript
• JSON schema definition
• Mentoring junior designers/developers
• Quebec resident (mandatory)
• Bonus: able to work on-site at McGill at least one day/week
• Bonus: Experience writing conference and journal papers and presenting results in academic venues
• Bonus: French, spoken and/or written
• Bonus: Experience working with the blind/low vision community

How to Apply

To apply, please email Jeremy Cooperstock, preferably including:

1. A brief letter of application, describing your qualifications and relevant experience to the position of interest, along with your dates of availability.
2. Detailed CV with links to online papers and/or project portfolios.
3. Two (2) reference letters (sent separately).

The positions are available immediately, with a reasonably flexible start date. Informal inquiries are welcome.

About us: The Shared Reality Lab conducts research in audio, video, and haptic technologies, building systems that leverage their capabilities to facilitate and enrich both human-computer and computer-mediated human-human interaction. The lab is part of the Centre for Intelligent Machines and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of McGill University. McGill, one of Canada's most prestigious universities, is located in Montreal, a top city to live in, especially for students.

McGill University is committed to equity in employment and diversity. It welcomes applications from women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, visible minorities, and others who may contribute to further diversification. In Quebec, "Postdoctoral Fellow" is a regulated category of trainee. Notably, a postdoctoral candidate must be within five years of graduating with a Ph.D. For more information, please consult www.mcgill.ca/gps/postdocs/fellows.