Lead Robotics Research Scientist – Autonomy & AI

Samsung Research America (SRA); Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 243,000 - 377,000; Full time

Job summary

Samsung Research America is seeking a Principal Research Scientist with extensive robotics R&D experience to push the boundaries of robot reasoning and autonomy. You will lead research programs, publish results, and guide systems from concept to real‑world demonstrations.

You will drive collaborations with universities and startups, contribute to patenting, and influence R&D priorities while advancing AI and robotics across Samsung’s ecosystem.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS/EE/Robotics or equivalent with strong research background.
• 11+ years of post‑graduate robotics R&D experience.
• Proven record of first‑author publications in top robotics venues.
• Strong fundamentals in robotics, ML, planning, and CV.
• Experience implementing and testing complex robotic behaviors on real or simulated platforms.

Responsibilities

• Conduct state‑of‑the‑art research advancing long‑horizon robot autonomy across multiple domains.
• Lead a team of researchers and engineers to build prototypes and demonstrations on robotic platforms.
• Collaborate in cross‑functional teams to design, analyze and evaluate performance from concept to completion.
• Provide technical leadership and align R&D priorities with current scientific advances.
• Establish collaborations with universities and startups to explore frontier topics and opportunities for impact.
• Publish patents and papers in top venues.

Skills

Research leadership

Robotics R&D

Publications track record

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

PhD in CS/EE/Robotics

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

C++

ROS

CUDA

Job description

Samsung Research America is seeking a Principal Research Scientist with extensive robotics R&D experience to push the boundaries of robot reasoning and autonomy. You will lead research programs, publish results, and guide systems from concept to real‑world demonstrations.

You will drive collaborations with universities and startups, contribute to patenting, and influence R&D priorities while advancing AI and robotics across Samsung’s ecosystem.