Undergraduate Researcher - FWS Required

**Federal work-study students only**

Overview:

Devin Harris' lab has developed an augmented reality (AR) application to support structural engineering education. The application is already published and available on the App Store. It is intended to help students visualize and interact with structural engineering concepts that are difficult to convey through traditional instruction. The lab is seeking a Computer Science student to help maintain the application and contribute to its continued development.

Outline:

The undergraduate researcher will join the existing development team. This is a continuity role: the priority is being able to take over an existing, shipped application, understand how it works, and keep developing it. Work will be conducted under the supervision of the lab and in coordination with the current student developers.

Responsibilities:

• Learn and take ownership of an existing, published AR application built in Unity (C#).

• Contribute to feature development on the application.

• Refactor and streamline existing code to improve readability, maintainability, and performance.

• Coordinate with the current team of CS students.

• Apply object-oriented design principles when structuring new code.

Required Qualifications:

• Foundational coding experience, including data structures and familiarity with object-oriented programming in at least one language.

• Ability to read, understand, and extend an existing codebase written by others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Unity and C#.

• Some experience with augmented or virtual reality development. The lab intends to expand the application toward VR in the future, so VR experience or interest is especially valued.

• Some experience with graphic design.

• Typically a second-year student who has completed core CS coursework (though strong candidates at other stages will be considered).

Criteria:

The undergraduate researcher must be able to work effectively within an existing codebase. Comfort reading unfamiliar code, asking questions, and working independently and as a team is essential.

Experience:

Preference is for Computer Science students, though students from adjacent technical fields with relevant coding experience will also be considered.

Compensation: $15/hr.

Scheduled Hours: 10-20 per week.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Resume required.
Education: Undergraduate UVA student. Federal Work-Study required.
Experience: None
Licensure: None

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.