Research Associate

WELCOME TO CLEMSON!Clemson is calling...are you ready to answer the call?One of the most productive public research universities in the nation, Clemson University attracts and powerfully unites students, faculty and staff whose greatest desire is to make a difference in the lives of others.Clemson has recently been named a top 25 public college in the country by the Wall Street Journal, a top South Carolina employer by Forbes and a Military Friendly Employer for five years running. Through our research, outreach and entrepreneurial projects, Clemson University and its employees are driving economic development and improving quality of life in South Carolina and beyond.So,... are you ready?JOB SUMMARY:The Research Associate will serve as a technical lead in developing in-context learning models for domain-adaptive AI systems. The role requires independent research leadership, strong publication productivity, proposal development, and mentorship of junior students. Other duties as assigned.JOB DUTIES:40% - Essential - 1) In-context learning model development - Lead the design and implementation of in-context learning frameworks for adapting foundation models to new tasks with limited labeled data. This includes developing prompt-based, context-aware, and retrieval-augmented learning methods; designing training and evaluation pipelines; benchmarking against state-of-the-art baselines; conducting ablation studies; and analyzing model robustness, generalization, and sample efficiency. The Research Associate is expected to define technical milestones, coordinate implementation, maintain reproducible code, and guide the project toward publishable outcomes.30% - Essential - (2) Submission of research papers ¿ Lead or co-lead the preparation and submission of high-quality conference or journal papers. Responsibilities include identifying the core novelty, conducting literature review, designing experiments, preparing figures and tables, writing major sections of the manuscripts, coordinating co-author feedback, and ensuring timely submission. The Research Associate is expected to take ownership of the technical narrative and help position the work for competitive AI venues.20% - Essential - (3) Research proposal development ¿ Contribute substantially to research proposals related to foundation models, adaptive learning, intelligent sensing, or trustworthy AI systems. Responsibilities include drafting technical tasks, preparing preliminary results, developing system diagrams, identifying relevant literature, defining milestones and deliverables, and helping articulate the broader impact and innovation of the proposed work.10% - Essential - (4) Student mentorship and project coordination ¿ Mentor graduate and undergraduate students involved in related projects. This includes assigning tasks, reviewing code and experimental results, helping students interpret findings, supporting literature review and manuscript preparation, and contributing to weekly research meetings. The Research Associate is expected to help maintain project momentum and ensure high technical standards across the team.MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:Education - 1st Bachelor's Degree - Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related fieldPREFERRED REQUIREMENTS:Education - 1st Doctoral / Professional Degree - Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related fieldResponsibilitiesJOB KNOWLEDGEFirm Job Knowledge - Firm working knowledge of concepts, practices and procedures and ability to use in varied situationsSupervisory ResponsibilitiesNo Supervisory Duties - Not responsible for supervising employees.Budgetary ResponsibilitiesNo Budget Responsibilities - No fiscal responsibility for the department's budget.PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:10% - Stand for prolonged period20% - Sit (stationary position) for prolonged period25% - Walk or move about10% - Position self to accomplish task (i.e. stoop, kneel, crawl)50% - Communicate, converse, give direction, express oneself50% - Recognize or inspect visually50% - Perceive, observe, clarity of visionWORK SCHEDULE:Standard Hours: 28Compensation InformationHourly Pay Rate: $30 per hourSalary is dependent upon several factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's previous experience, knowledge, skills and performance in accordance with Clemson's compensation guidelines.Essential Personnel LevelNormal OperationsRequired to follow emergency facility closure directives, and not normally expected work on-site during emergency situations.JOB LOCATION:Clemson, SCAPPLICATION DEADLINE:May 21, 2026MILITARY AND VETERAN:MILITARY EQUIVALENCY:Clemson University is proud to allow educational equivalency for military technical certifications and trainings that directly relate to the job duties.VETERAN PREFERENCE:South Carolina is making our Veterans a priority for employment in state agencies and institutions.State policy for veteran preference states that for qualifying, full-time permanent positions, a veteran applicant may receive preference if they meet the job's minimum qualifications, were discharged under honorable conditions from the military, and submit their DD-214 for confidential review by the Office of Human Resources.To claim Veteran Preference for qualifying positions, email hrjob@clemson.edu upon submission of your application.CLOSING STATEMENT:Clemson University is an EEO/AA employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to characteristics protected by applicable law including disability and protected veteran status.