Principal Audio Scientist, Fauna

Amazon Science; New York (NY); On-site; USD 219,000 - 296,000; Full time

Job summary

Fauna Robotics is seeking a Principal Audio Scientist to set the robot's hearing architecture and lead cross-functional teams across robot generations. You will mentor engineers, shape decisions on microphones, and drive audio data collection and evaluation to validate performance in real-world environments.

You will design algorithms for real-time, embedded audio processing, manage tradeoffs between hardware constraints and software capabilities, and communicate technical results to senior

Qualifications

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Acoustics, or related field with 7+ years of post-degree research, or a Master’s with 12+ years of equivalent experience.
• Deep hands-on expertise in multi-microphone audio processing (beamforming, echo cancellation, noise suppression).
• Proven track record designing and shipping audio front-end algorithms on devices with acoustic challenges (smart speaker, robot).
• Experience influencing hardware decisions on microphone array design and acoustic integration.

Responsibilities

• Set long-range science roadmap and technical architecture for the robot's audio system.
• Design and implement suppression of the robot's own noise from motors and movement.
• Design and implement echo cancellation for the robot's own voice.
• Develop multi-microphone processing that tracks speakers as people move and the robot turns toward them.
• Make on-robot listening decisions robust to noise sources and wake word/voice activity.

Skills

Multi-mic Processing

Beamforming

Echo Cancellation

Noise Suppression

Cross-functional Leadership

Hardware Influence

Publications/Patents

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering/CS/Acoustics

Master's degree in related field

Job description

Description

Fauna Robotics is building capable, safe, and delightful robots for everyday life, and voice is one of the most natural ways people will interact with them. Cloud speech and language models are good and getting better, but they can only work with the audio they receive, and a robot is a hard place to listen. Its microphones sit beside motors, fans, and moving joints. It speaks through its own loudspeaker while people talk over it. It moves, turns, and shares a room with several people at once. We are hiring a Principal Audio Scientist to be Fauna's technical authority on how our robots hear.

We will design, prototype, and ship the hardest algorithms in the robot's audio system. You will set the audio architecture that other engineers build on, shape hardware decisions across robot generations, mentor the engineers and scientists working on audio, and be the person teams come to when the robot can't hear.

Key job responsibilities

• Set the long-range science roadmap and technical architecture for the robot's audio system, and serve as Fauna's primary technical authority on robot hearing
• Design and implement suppression of the robot's own noise from motors, fans, and moving joints
• Design and implement echo cancellation for the robot's own voice, so people can interrupt it naturally
• Develop multi-microphone processing that holds up as the robot and the people around it move, including locating who is speaking so the robot can turn toward them
• Make on-robot listening decisions robust to internal and external noise sources: wake word, voice activity, and whether speech is directed at the robot
• Drive microphone and speaker placement, enclosure acoustics, and vibration isolation decisions with mechanical, electrical, and industrial design, backed by your own measurements
• Design the robot-specific data collection and evaluation methods to validate the performance of our audio design
• Present audio science and its tradeoffs to senior leadership and partner teams
• Mentor scientists and engineers, raising the scientific bar for audio across the organization through design reviews, code reviews, and hiring

Basic Qualifications

• Experience influencing multiple stakeholders and leading cross functional teams across geographies and business units
• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Acoustics, or a related field and 7+ years of relevant research experience after degree, or a Master's degree and 12+ years of equivalent experience
• Deep, hands‑on expertise in multi-microphone audio processing, such as beamforming, echo cancellation, and noise suppression
• Track record of designing and shipping audio front-end algorithms on a physical device with its own acoustic challenges, such as a smart speaker, wearable, vehicle, or robot
• Experience influencing hardware decisions on microphone array design and acoustic integration

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience suppressing device-generated noise from motors, fans, or mechanical vibration
• Experience with sound source localization or tracking moving talkers
• Experience adapting wake word or voice activity detection to noisy, far-field conditions
• Experience optimizing audio algorithms for real-time execution on embedded or edge hardware
• Experience with robotics, or with sensor fusion that combines audio with other sensors such as cameras or joint state
• Experience mentoring scientists and engineers
• Publications and/or patents in audio or speech processing

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 - 218,800.00 - 295,900.00 USD annually