STEM Research Mentor - Robotics

Future Forward Labs is a STEM research mentorship institute dedicated to supporting high school students in conducting professional-grade scientific research. The organization bridges the gap between school curricula and advanced STEM inquiry by pairing students with mentors who hold completed PhDs in their fields. Scholars develop original research projects rigorous enough for major competitions such as ISEF, Regeneron STS, and Thermo Fisher JIC, as well as submissions to peer‑reviewed journals and international conferences. The institute focuses exclusively on STEM disciplines, including AI, medicine, engineering, and the physical and life sciences. Future Forward Labs is headquartered in Seattle and collaborates with mentors located across the United States.

Role

The STEM Research Mentor – Robotics is a part-time, remote role focused on guiding high school scholars through the full research lifecycle in robotics and related fields. Day-to-day responsibilities include helping their assigned students scope a research question in robotics that is original, answerable at their level, and feasible with hobbyist hardware or free simulation: control and path planning, sensor fusion and perception, soft or bio-inspired mechanisms, swarm behavior, learning-based control, assistive or agricultural robotics, or low-cost instrumentation. Typical platforms include Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32, 3D-printed mechanisms, and simulators such as Webots, Gazebo, PyBullet, or MuJoCo. The mentor will provide feedback on technical writing, data analysis, research ethics, and presentation of results, meeting regularly with students via online platforms. Additional tasks include reviewing drafts of research papers, advising on competition requirements, and supporting students in preparing posters, talks, and submissions to journals or conferences. The mentor is expected to maintain clear communication with program staff, uphold academic integrity, and foster an inclusive, encouraging learning environment.

Required Qualifications

• Completed PhD in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or a closely related field.
• Peer-reviewed publications in robotics or an adjacent area (conferences such as ICRA, IROS, RSS, or CoRL count).
• Hands-on experience building and testing physical robots, not only simulation: microcontrollers, motors and drivers, sensors, and basic fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, or machining).
• Demonstrated ability to mentor or teach students, particularly high school learners, with clear communication and patience.
• Experience with research design, data analysis, and technical or scientific writing suitable for competitions and publications.
• Familiarity with major STEM competitions, peer‑reviewed journals, or academic conferences is highly beneficial.
• Comfort working remotely using digital collaboration tools and maintaining reliable scheduling for part‑time mentoring sessions.
• Great work ethic, diligence, punctuality and sense of accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with FIRST, VEX, or similar programs, and a clear view of how research projects differ from competition builds.
• Comfort with computer vision, reinforcement learning, or sim-to-real workflows.

Engagement details

• Part time (independent contractor), 1099 role
• Fully remote, based in USA
• Commitment of 5–15 hours/week depending on caseload
• Candidate should be a US Citizen or Green Card Holder

If you are interested in this role, please apply on Linkedin and send us an email (View email address on click.appcast.io) on why you'll be a good fit.