AI Research Scientist, Robotics

Meta; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 219,000 - 301,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta is seeking an AI Research Scientist in robotics to advance embodied AI through fundamental and applied research. You will invent novel data-driven paradigms, work across modalities, and develop algorithms for the next generation of autonomous systems.

You will collaborate with a wide range of scientists and engineers, contribute to long-term product goals, and help build prototypes and architectures in a focused incubation team at Meta.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, CS, ML, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of industry robotics research experience.
• Experience with robotics, motion planning, embodied AI, sim-to-real transfer, RL, and related areas.

Responsibilities

• Perform fundamental and applied research to push embodied AI frontiers.
• Invent data-driven paradigms for robotics using multiple modalities.
• Explore paradigms for behaviors from simulation to real robots across horizons.
• Develop algorithms using state-of-the-art ML/NN methods.
• Define, build, and benchmark new AI functionality for next-gen products.
• Conduct research aligned to long-term product goals with milestones.
• Lead and execute novel research based on organizational objectives.

Skills

Robotics research areas

Publications in ML/Robotics/CV venues

Open source contributions

Cross-functional collaboration

Python

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/CE or equivalent practical experience

PhD in AI/Robotics/CS or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

At Meta, we're building the future of human connection and the technology that enables it. This means continuously inventing and developing technologies for the next generation of experiences. To continue our efforts in the path to AGI, and as we move closer to a future with intelligent robots and advanced AI models, we're hiring talent across a broad range of disciplines from robotics hardware to system software, machine perception, and artificial intelligence. These crucial projects and initiatives taken on by this team have never been done before, so you have a rare opportunity to help us create new ways people connect around the world. We're seeking a Research Scientist ready to use their skills in system design and modeling and with a knowledge of a wide variety of components and technologies. These roles will require research and problem-solving skills, as well as fabrication and prototyping to design, develop, and construct novel prototypes and architectures. These roles will work in a focused incubation team and collaborate with a large and wide-ranging set of scientists and engineers in the greater organization.

AI Research Scientist, Robotics Responsibilities

• Perform fundamental and applied research to push the scientific and technological frontiers of embodied artificial intelligence
• Invent/improve novel data-driven paradigms for robotics, leveraging a variety of modalities (images, video, text, audio, tactile, etc.)
• Investigate paradigms that can deliver a spectrum of embodied behaviors - from simulated characters to real robots, and from short-horizon, low-level to long-horizon, high-level intelligence
• Develop algorithms based on state-of-the-art machine learning and neural network methodologies
• Define, build and benchmark new functionality needed for the next generation of AI
• Conduct research towards long-term product goals while identifying intermediate milestones
• Lead, plan, and execute novel research based on long-term objectives of the organization

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• PhD degree in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Language, a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Experience with any of the following research areas: robotics, motion planning, embodied AI, human-robot interaction, sim-to-real transfer, learning from demonstration, reinforcement learning, dexterous manipulation, digital agents, vision language models, computer vision, egocentric perception, and/or Large Language Models
• 5+ years of industry experience in relevant robotics related research areas, such as: Vision Language Models robot learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, action-conditioned world models, task and motion planning, sim-to-real transfer robotic control, manipulation, navigation, or generally embodied AI

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, as well as publications at leading workshops, journals or conferences in Machine Learning (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR), Robotics (ICRA, IROS, RSS, CoRL), Computer Vision (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV)
• 7+ years of industry experience in relevant robotics related research areas, such as: robot learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, action-conditioned world models, task and motion planning, sim-to-real transfer robotic control, manipulation, navigation, or generally embodied AI
• Demonstrated research and software engineering experience via an internship, work experience, coding competitions, or widely used contributions in open source repositories (e.g. GitHub)
• Experience with manipulating and analyzing complex, large scale, high-dimensionality data from varying sources
• Experience building systems based on machine learning and/or deep learning methods
• Experience with deep learning frameworks (such as PyTorch, Tensorflow) and Python
• Experience solving complex problems and comparing alternative solutions, tradeoffs, and different perspectives to determine a path forward
• Experience working with robot simulations and real-world hardware
• Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today - beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

$219,000/year to $301,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.