Postdoctoral Scholar

Position overview

Position title: Postdoctoral Scholar

Salary range: A reasonable salary range estimate for this position is $71,491 - $74,140.

The posted UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See the following table for the salary scale for this position [(https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/\_files/2026-27/represented-oct-2026-scales/t23.pdf)] “Off-scale salaries”, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Application Window

Open date: July 23, 2026

Next review date: Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Thursday, Dec 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

Description The Morimoto Lab (Morimoto Lab) at the University of California, San Diego has openings for multiple postdoctoral scholar positions. The postdocs will support an exciting new project that is focused on autonomous, soft, tip-extending robots for stroke treatment. The overall goal is to enable fully autonomous navigation of vessels with severe tortuosity and curvature that currently prove to be challenging, even for expertly trained specialists. The project will involve design, fabrication, modeling, planning, controls, integration, and testing of this new soft robotic system.

The postdoc will work directly with Dr. Tania Morimoto (Morimoto Lab) at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, along with Dr. Michael Yip and Dr. Nikolay Atanasov (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering), and will also collaborate with co-investigators at Stanford University, UC Santa Barbara, Vanderbilt University, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Missouri Kansas City, GE Healthcare, EndoTheia, and Vine Medical.

Qualifications Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, with a strong background in robotics, including a solid publication record in top level robotics venues.

Additional Qualifications (required At Time Of Start)

• Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;

Preferred Qualifications Demonstrated experience with hardware/system integration and interdisciplinary collaboration is preferred.

Application Requirements

Document Requirements- Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V including list of publications.

• Cover Letter - Cover letter (<1 page) detailing:

• A summary of research background and interests

• Doctoral dissertation topic

• Available start date

• Unofficial Transcripts

Reference Requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Letter of support from the candidate’s mentor and contact information for two other references.

Apply link: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04580

Help contact: [email protected]

About UC San Diego The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a university employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California prohibits smoking and tobacco use at all of its university-controlled properties.

The UC San Diego Annual Security & Fire Safety Report is available online at: https://www.police.ucsd.edu/docs/annualclery.pdf. This report provides crime and fire statistics, as well as institutional policy statements & procedures. Contact the UC San Diego Police Department at (858) 534-4361 if you want to obtain paper copies of this report.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

Click for more information on Assembly Bill-810

Click for more information on Senate Bill-791

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy: [https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH]
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties: [https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination]

Job location

San Diego, CA