Assistant Research Scientist (PREP0005086)

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University is seeking a PREP Research Associate to support the Physical AI research initiative under the NIST PREP program. The role involves developing AI/ML applications, simulating physics-based environments, and generating high-quality data for training robust Physical AI systems.

Ideal candidates hold a Master’s or PhD (or are in final year) in CS/Engineering, with strong Python/C++ skills and experience in ML frameworks, simulation tools, and ROS 2 on Linux.

Qualifications

• US citizenship preferred.
• Engineering/CS majors with Master or PhD, or final-year student.

Responsibilities

• Develop Physical AI applications using ML and RL.
• Research foundational model training for VLMs and VLA architectures.
• Generate synthetic data in IsaacSim/GR00T/Cosmos to test systems.
• Prepare reports and weekly progress presentations.
• On-campus work in Gaithersburg, MD, full-time (40 hrs/week).

Skills

Python

C++

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Git

Linux

ROS 2

CAD

Education

Master's degree

Ph.D

final year of degree

Tools

NVIDIA IsaacSim

GR00T

Cosmos

Gazebo

MuJoCo

Drake

Job description

PREP Research Associate

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Research Title: Physical AI Researcher

The work will entail: NIST is investigating the performance of commercial and custom AI systems (hardware and software) for Physical AI applications, specifically in machine learning, reinforcement learning, and foundation model training for Vision-Language Models (VLMs) and Vision-Language Action (VLA) architectures. The work will focus on leveraging physics-based simulations (e.g., Gazebo, MuJoCo, Drake) and synthetic data generation within platforms like NVIDIA IsaacSim / GR00T / Cosmos to conduct experiments, analyze system capabilities, and generate high-quality data to train robust Physical AI systems.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Develop Physical AI applications using machine learning and reinforcement learning.
• Research and develop Foundational model training for Vision-Language Models (VLMs) and Vision-Language Action (VLA) architectures.
• Research and develop methods for synthetic data generation within platforms like NVIDIA IsaacSim / GR00T / Cosmos to conduct experiments to analyze system capabilities, and generate high-quality data to train robust Physical AI Systems.
• Write reports and develop weekly presentations to explain the progress of the project.
• Work Schedule: On-campus (Gaithersburg, MD), Full-Time (40 hrs / week).

Qualifications

• US Citizen Preferred.
• Education: Engineering / Computer Science majors with Master's Degree or Ph.D, or in the final year of degree (e.g., Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering or similar).
• Strong programming experience in Python and C++.
• Experience in AI / Machine Learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, etc.).
• Experience with developing and applying tools for Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, and Foundational Models for Vision-Language Models (VLM) and Vision-Language Action (VLA) architectures.
• Experience in Synthetic data generation in and for NVIDIA IsaacSim, GR00T, and Cosmos environments.
• Experience in Physics-based simulation engines (e.g., Gazebo, MuJoCo, Drake, etc.).
• Experience with version control software and workflow (e.g., Git, GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, etc).
• Experience with Unix / Linux Operating systems.
• Experience with ROS 2 on Linux systems.
• Some experience in with CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, OnShape, etc.).

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

Total Rewards

Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. The university is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors or demographic characteristics that are irrelevant to the program involved.

Pre-Employment Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at [e-mail]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations at Johns Hopkins University for disabilities, medical conditions (including medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), accessibility, or religious reasons, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu.

Background Checks

After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate's conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.

EEO is the Law

https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine.

Exceptions to the seasonal flu vaccine or COVID-19 vaccine (for SOM) requirement(s) may be provided to individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs or medical conditions that preclude them from receiving the vaccine. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those candidates who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.