Postdoctoral Fellowship in Reinforcement Learning and Autonomous Laboratory Systems

Academic

Job Category

Faculty Non Bargaining

Job Title

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Reinforcement Learning and Autonomous Laboratory Systems

Department

Research | Tang | Michael Smith Laboratories | Faculty of Science (Xin Tang)

Posting End Date

February 15, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

February 28, 2027

The expected salary for this position is $55,000–$70,000 CAD per year.

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, invite applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Tang Lab. The Tang Lab (https://tangxinlab.org/) works at the intersection of AI-driven automation, self-driving laboratories, and scientific discovery, in close collaboration with experimental research groups at UBC.

Project

Autonomous and self-driving laboratories are transforming how scientific experiments are designed, executed, and optimized. By combining reinforcement learning, Bayesian optimization, and real-time sensing with laboratory instrumentation, closed-loop systems can accelerate discovery and improve experimental efficiency. However, building robust and interpretable autonomous experimentation systems remains a major research challenge.

The successful candidate will develop reinforcement-learning and decision-making algorithms for autonomous laboratory platforms. The project will focus on closed-loop experimental design, model-based and data-efficient reinforcement learning, and integration of AI models with real-world laboratory systems. The Postdoctoral Fellow will work closely with experimental collaborators to translate computational methods into operational autonomous experimentation pipelines and to publish methodological and system-level advances.

Candidate

We are seeking candidates with strong backgrounds in reinforcement learning, robotics, control, or autonomous systems. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field, with a strong record of research productivity.

The ideal candidate will have expertise in reinforcement learning, optimal control, vision-language models, or Bayesian optimization, and be proficient in Python and modern ML/RL libraries. Experience with robotic control systems, laboratory automation, simulation platforms, or interfacing software with hardware is highly desirable. Candidates should be comfortable working across computational and experimental boundaries and capable of independently driving research projects.

Opportunity

The Postdoctoral Fellow will play a central role in building one of UBC’s emerging self-driving laboratory platforms. The position offers opportunities to work on real-world autonomous systems, collaborate closely with experimental scientists, contribute to a high-visibility interdisciplinary research program, publish in top-tier venues, and develop an independent research profile. Vancouver is consistently ranked among the world’s most livable cities, and UBC provides an outstanding environment for scientific research and career development.

Salary

The expected salary for this position is $55,000–$70,000 CAD plus benefits per year, commensurate with experience.

Appointment

The appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit a single PDF containing a curriculum vitae (including publication list), a brief research statement (1–2 pages), and contact information for 2–3 references. Applications should be submitted to the UBC Career portal no later than the posting date. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been historically underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.