Member of Technical Staff, Robot Learning

Darwin (YC F25); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin (YC F25) is building autonomous robots for data centers. We seek a machine learning researcher or engineer who can design and train models, develop policies, and advance learning systems that operate in the physical world.

You will work across research and deployment to enable robots that learn from demonstrations and experience. You should be proficient in Python, PyTorch, and NumPy, with deep learning foundations and a willingness to tackle cross-disciplinary challenges.

Qualifications

• Expertise in at least one ML subfield with ability to contribute across disciplines.
• Experience designing and training models and pipelines for real-world data.
• Ability to reason about architectures, data, experiments, and results.

Responsibilities

• Robot Learning: research, design, and train models and policies for learning complex physical tasks from demonstrations and experience.
• Dexterous Manipulation: develop learning approaches for precise manipulation, assembly, and tool use.
• Learning Architectures: design architectures and algorithms for robot perception, reasoning, and control.
• Data & Training: design data collection strategies, training pipelines, and methods for learning from real-world data.
• Evaluation & Deployment: design experiments, evaluate performance, and improve policies on physical robots.

Skills

Deep learning

Python

PyTorch

NumPy

Tools

PyTorch

NumPy

Job description

The Mission

Every machine is built and repaired by skilled hands. The world needs more of them. At Darwin, we're building general-purpose robot technicians that assemble and maintain the machines civilization runs on.

Every machine is built and repaired by skilled hands. The world needs more of them. At Darwin, we're building general-purpose robot technicians that assemble and maintain the machines civilization runs on.

We're starting with data centers, where assembly, commissioning, and maintenance require dexterity, precision, and tool use.

Our robots learn these tasks from demonstrations rather than being explicitly programmed for each workflow. We're a small team building the intelligence, hardware, and company to bring these robots into the real world.

What You’ll Work On

• Robot Learning: Research, design, and train models and policies for learning complex physical tasks from demonstrations and experience.
• Dexterous Manipulation: Develop learning approaches for precise manipulation, assembly, and tool use.
• Learning Architectures: Design novel architectures and algorithms for robot perception, reasoning, and control.
• Data & Training: Design data collection strategies, training pipelines, and methods for learning from real-world experience.
• Evaluation & Deployment: Design experiments, evaluate performance, and improve policies on physical robots.

Who You Are

You're an exceptional machine learning researcher or engineer who wants to build autonomous robots that operate in the physical world.

You have strong foundations in deep learning, are proficient in Python, PyTorch, and NumPy, and have experience designing and training models. You think critically about architectures, learning algorithms, data, and experimental design.

You have deep expertise in at least one area of machine learning, with the curiosity to work across disciplines. You're comfortable developing new approaches, testing ideas, and challenging existing methods.

You have high agency, move quickly, and take ownership from research and data collection through training and deployment.

Work Eligibility

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We do not currently sponsor work visas.