Human-Robot Interaction Applied Scientist , Fauna

Amazon Science; New York (NY); On-site; USD 172,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

RSUs included

401(k) matching

Job summary

Amazon Science seeks a Human-Robot Interaction Applied Scientist to advance expressive, socially intelligent robot behavior. You will develop conversational systems that blend language models, perception, and memory to create engaging robot-user interactions.

You will lead projects from concept to deployment, mentor junior scientists, and collaborate across engineering and research teams to bridge theory and practical robotics. A PhD or equivalent experience is required.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in CS/CE/ML or related field.
• 3+ years of building models for business applications.
• Publications or patents in top-tier venues.
• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python.
• Experience with algorithms, data structures, optimization, parallel computing.

Responsibilities

• Develop interactive HRI systems using LLMs and multimodal inputs.
• Design conversational agents with turn-taking and grounding.
• Integrate perceptual sensors for social context.
• Build memory and personalization to sustain long-term user relationships.
• Stay updated on HRI, NLP, and cognitive sciences.
• Lead projects from concept to deployment.
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers.
• Bridge research with engineering implementations.

Skills

Java

C++

Python

LLMs

Reinforcement learning

NLP

Algorithms

Education

PhD or Master's in CS/CE/ML or related field

Tools

Unix/Linux

Job description

Description

We are seeking a Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Applied Scientist to develop cutting-edge interactions that make robots feel alive, personal, and fun. In this role, you will focus on verbal and non-verbal conversational systems, social dynamics, memory, and long-term relationship formation between robots, their environments, and the people they interact with. Your contributions will be essential in advancing robotics by enabling expressive, socially intelligent, and trustworthy interactions between robots and humans.

Key job responsibilities

• Develop interactive systems that leverage large language models, multimodal inputs and outputs, reinforcement learning from human feedback, or other advanced techniques to achieve fluid, engaging, and socially appropriate robot behavior
• Design and implement intelligent conversational systems that handle turn-taking, grounding, interruption, and incorporates context drawn from a robot's physical environment and shared history with a user
• Integrate perceptual sensor streams including gaze, facial expression, gesture, posture, and more to understand social context and produce coherent, lifelike interactions.
• Develop memory and personalization systems that allow robots to form lasting relationships with individual users, learn their environments, and adapt their behavior over weeks and months
• Stay updated on advancements in HRI, NLP, multimodal AI, and cognitive and social science to apply cutting-edge techniques to robot interaction challenges
• Lead technical projects from conception through production deployment
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers
• Bridge research initiatives with practical engineering implementation

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of building models for business application experience
• PhD, or Master's degree and 1+ years of CS, CE, ML or related field experience
• Experience in patents or publications at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals
• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
• Experience in any of the following areas: algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using Unix/Linux
• Experience in professional software development

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, NY, New York - 172,400.00 - 223,400.00 USD annually

USA, NY, New York City - 172,400.00 - 223,400.00 USD annually