Co-Captain: aQuatonomous Design Team

Organization Overview

aQuatonomous is a multidisciplinary student engineering design team at Queen’s University focused on the design, development, and deployment of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) for international competition. The team competes annually in RoboBoat, hosted by RoboNation, where teams are challenged to build fully autonomous marine systems capable of perception, navigation, and task execution in dynamic real-world environments.

aQuatonomous provides students with hands-on experience in robotics, electrical and mechanical systems, autonomy, computer vision, software engineering, and project management. The team’s mission is to advance experiential learning, technical excellence, and interdisciplinary collaboration while representing Queen’s University at the highest level of international autonomous robotics competition. In addition to competition, aQuatonomous also explores real-world environmental and biological water research applications, including water quality monitoring (e.g., pH measurement, environmental sensing, and aquatic data collection). Our platform serves not only as a competition vehicle but as a potential tool for sustainable environmental monitoring and marine data acquisition.

Position Overview:

The Co-Captain is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, technical progress, and operational success of the aQuatonomous team throughout the 2026–2027 season. While competition at RoboBoat is an important milestone, the role extends beyond competition to supporting the long-term growth, impact, and sustainability of the organization.

Co-Captains work collaboratively to lead the team, manage multiple subteams, and ensure that technical, financial, and operational goals are achieved. The role requires strong leadership, coordination skills, and the ability to support both high-level technical decision-making and day-to-day team operations.

A key component of the position is fostering knowledge transfer and mentorship across the team. The Co-Captain will support onboarding and development of newer members particularly early-year students through mentorship, workshops, and structured learning opportunities that strengthen continuity and long-term success.

The Co-Captain also plays an important role in expanding the visibility and reach of the aQuatonomous brand, strengthening recruitment, and supporting partnerships and outreach initiatives.

Beyond robotics competition, aQuatonomous is committed to using autonomous systems for positive real-world impact. The Co-Captain will support initiatives that expand the platform’s role in environmental sensing and sustainable water research applications, aligning with the team’s broader mission of developing robotics that benefit both people and the planet.

Major Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the aQuatonomous team

• Collaborate closely with the second Co-Captain to manage team priorities and execution

• Oversee and support subteam leads across autonomy, electrical, mechanical, perception, and systems

• Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performance team culture

• Manage team structure, recruitment, and member development

Operations & Strategy

• Coordinate project timelines, milestones, and deliverables across subteams

• Oversee operational planning including meeting cadence, documentation, and internal processes

• Support risk management and technical decision-making

• Ensure readiness for competition milestones and deadlines

Finance & Sponsorship Oversight

• Work with finance and sponsorship leads to manage budgets and funding strategies

• Oversee sponsor relations, reporting, and partnership development

• Support funding applications such as grants and institutional support opportunities

Competition & External Representation

• Lead preparation for RoboBoat competition hosted by RoboNation

• Coordinate logistics including travel, registration, and equipment transport

• Represent the team to sponsors, faculty, partners, and external organizations

• Ensure the team is positioned for strong competitive performance

Technical Advisory

• Provide high-level guidance on technical direction and integration across subsystems

• Support system-level decision making and troubleshooting

• Ensure alignment between design goals and competition requirements

Research & Environmental Applications

• Support development of environmental sensing capabilities (e.g., pH, water quality, and environmental data collection)

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between robotics and environmental engineering

• Guide long-term research direction beyond competition objectives
  

Job Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills

• Ability to manage multiple projects and coordinate across subteams

• Strong organizational and time-management abilities

• Commitment to supporting team members and fostering collaboration

• Interest in robotics, autonomous systems, or engineering design teams

• Ability to work collaboratively with another Co-Captain

Assets (Not Required but Beneficial)

• Previous experience on aQuatonomous or another engineering design team

• Experience in leadership roles or project management

• Technical experience in robotics, autonomy, software, electrical, or mechanical systems

• Experience with sponsorship, finance management, or operations

• Conflict resolution and team facilitation skills

Additional Information

Application Deadline: March 16th 2026

Time Commitment: Approximately 15–20 hours per week on average, with increased commitment during integration, testing, and competition periods.

Term: May 2026 – May 2027

Interview Dates

Interviews will occur on the week of the 16th of March 2026.

Contact Information

For questions about the position or application process, please contact:

Email: aquatonomous @engsoc.queensu.ca

Why This Role Matters

Serving as Co-Captain is an opportunity to lead one of Queen’s premier engineering design teams, drive innovation in autonomous robotics, and represent the university on an international stage. Co-Captains play a critical role in shaping the team’s technical achievements, culture, and long-term impact.

Co-Captain: aQuatonomous Design Team

Organization Overview

aQuatonomous is a multidisciplinary student engineering design team at Queen’s University focused on the design, development, and deployment of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) for international competition. The team competes annually in RoboBoat, hosted by RoboNation, where teams are challenged to build fully autonomous marine systems capable of perception, navigation, and task execution in dynamic real-world environments.

aQuatonomous provides students with hands-on experience in robotics, electrical and mechanical systems, autonomy, computer vision, software engineering, and project management. The team’s mission is to advance experiential learning, technical excellence, and interdisciplinary collaboration while representing Queen’s University at the highest level of international autonomous robotics competition. In addition to competition, aQuatonomous also explores real-world environmental and biological water research applications, including water quality monitoring (e.g., pH measurement, environmental sensing, and aquatic data collection). Our platform serves not only as a competition vehicle but as a potential tool for sustainable environmental monitoring and marine data acquisition.

Position Overview:

The Co-Captain is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, technical progress, and operational success of the aQuatonomous team throughout the 2026–2027 season. While competition at RoboBoat is an important milestone, the role extends beyond competition to supporting the long-term growth, impact, and sustainability of the organization.

Co-Captains work collaboratively to lead the team, manage multiple subteams, and ensure that technical, financial, and operational goals are achieved. The role requires strong leadership, coordination skills, and the ability to support both high-level technical decision-making and day-to-day team operations.

A key component of the position is fostering knowledge transfer and mentorship across the team. The Co-Captain will support onboarding and development of newer members particularly early-year students through mentorship, workshops, and structured learning opportunities that strengthen continuity and long-term success.

The Co-Captain also plays an important role in expanding the visibility and reach of the aQuatonomous brand, strengthening recruitment, and supporting partnerships and outreach initiatives.

Beyond robotics competition, aQuatonomous is committed to using autonomous systems for positive real-world impact. The Co-Captain will support initiatives that expand the platform’s role in environmental sensing and sustainable water research applications, aligning with the team’s broader mission of developing robotics that benefit both people and the planet.

Major Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the aQuatonomous team

• Collaborate closely with the second Co-Captain to manage team priorities and execution

• Oversee and support subteam leads across autonomy, electrical, mechanical, perception, and systems

• Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performance team culture

• Manage team structure, recruitment, and member development

Operations & Strategy

• Coordinate project timelines, milestones, and deliverables across subteams

• Oversee operational planning including meeting cadence, documentation, and internal processes

• Support risk management and technical decision-making

• Ensure readiness for competition milestones and deadlines

Finance & Sponsorship Oversight

• Work with finance and sponsorship leads to manage budgets and funding strategies

• Oversee sponsor relations, reporting, and partnership development

• Support funding applications such as grants and institutional support opportunities

Competition & External Representation

• Lead preparation for RoboBoat competition hosted by RoboNation

• Coordinate logistics including travel, registration, and equipment transport

• Represent the team to sponsors, faculty, partners, and external organizations

• Ensure the team is positioned for strong competitive performance

Technical Advisory

• Provide high-level guidance on technical direction and integration across subsystems

• Support system-level decision making and troubleshooting

• Ensure alignment between design goals and competition requirements

Research & Environmental Applications

• Support development of environmental sensing capabilities (e.g., pH, water quality, and environmental data collection)

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between robotics and environmental engineering

• Guide long-term research direction beyond competition objectives
  

Job Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills

• Ability to manage multiple projects and coordinate across subteams

• Strong organizational and time-management abilities

• Commitment to supporting team members and fostering collaboration

• Interest in robotics, autonomous systems, or engineering design teams

• Ability to work collaboratively with another Co-Captain

Assets (Not Required but Beneficial)

• Previous experience on aQuatonomous or another engineering design team

• Experience in leadership roles or project management

• Technical experience in robotics, autonomy, software, electrical, or mechanical systems

• Experience with sponsorship, finance management, or operations

• Conflict resolution and team facilitation skills

Additional Information

Application Deadline: March 16th 2026

Time Commitment: Approximately 15–20 hours per week on average, with increased commitment during integration, testing, and competition periods.

Term: May 2026 – May 2027

Interview Dates

Interviews will occur on the week of the 16th of March 2026.

Contact Information

For questions about the position or application process, please contact:

Email: aquatonomous @engsoc.queensu.ca

Why This Role Matters

Serving as Co-Captain is an opportunity to lead one of Queen’s premier engineering design teams, drive innovation in autonomous robotics, and represent the university on an international stage. Co-Captains play a critical role in shaping the team’s technical achievements, culture, and long-term impact.

Top 10 global leader advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals through research and innovation.