Machine Learning Research Scientist, Generative Modeling for Planning

The Robot Age; Mountain View, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Nuro is seeking a research scientist to advance generative modeling for planning in autonomous driving. The role centers on applying cutting-edge ML research to planning under uncertainty, influencing how learned models support real-world robot decisions.

Based in Mountain View within Nuro's autonomy organization, the role leans toward research while ensuring outputs inform safety, evaluation, and deployment in production autonomy systems.

Qualifications

• ML research experience in generative modeling, planning, robotics, or autonomous driving
• Ability to design experiments and interpret model behavior in physical systems
• Comfort working with large-scale data and safety-sensitive evaluation
• Interest in translating research into practical autonomy systems

Responsibilities

• Research generative modeling approaches for autonomous planning
• Build and evaluate models against simulation and driving data
• Connect learned planning methods to production autonomy constraints
• Collaborate with autonomy teams working across prediction, planning, and evaluation

Skills

ML research

Generative modeling

Planning

Robotics

Autonomous driving

Job description

What the role actually is

Nuro is hiring a research scientist to work on generative modeling for planning. The role is about applying modern ML research to autonomous driving decisions, with a focus on how learned models can support planning under uncertainty.

The work is based in Mountain View and sits inside Nuro's autonomy organization. It is closer to research than product management, but the output affects real-world robot behavior.

What you would work on

• Research generative modeling approaches for autonomous planning
• Build and evaluate models against simulation and driving data
• Connect learned planning methods to production autonomy constraints
• Collaborate with autonomy teams working across prediction, planning, and evaluation

What they are asking for

• ML research experience in generative modeling, planning, robotics, or autonomous driving
• Ability to design experiments and interpret model behavior in physical systems
• Comfort working with large-scale data and safety-sensitive evaluation
• Interest in translating research into practical autonomy systems

Why this one is worth a look

Generative modeling is moving from media and language into physical decision-making. This Nuro role is a useful marker of how autonomy teams are trying to make learned planners more capable without losing control of safety and evaluation.