Principal Research Scientist, Robotics

Samsungresearchamerica; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 242,500 - 376,650; Full time

Job summary

Samsung Research America is seeking a Principal Research Scientist in robotics to advance long-horizon autonomy through novel AI techniques and world-class publication activity. You will lead research inside a collaborative environment, publish results, and drive strategic R&D priorities across divisions, with opportunities to collaborate with universities and startups.

The role demands a PhD, 11+ years of robotics R&D, and hands-on experience implementing complex behaviors on robots, with

Qualifications

• PhD in CS/EE/Robotics or equivalent.
• 11+ years of post-graduate robotics R&D experience.
• Strong track record with first-author publications in top venues.
• Deep understanding of robotics, machine learning, planning and computer vision.
• Experience implementing and testing complex integrated robotic behaviors.
• Familiar with ML model development, tuning, evaluation and deployment.

Responsibilities

• Conduct state-of-the-art research pushing long-horizon robot autonomy.
• Lead a team to design and prototype research on robotic platforms.
• Collaborate across cross-functional teams from concept to evaluation.
• Provide technical leadership and shape R&D priorities by following current research.
• Establish collaborations with universities and startups to explore frontier topics.
• Generate patents and publish papers in top-tier venues.

Skills

Robot reasoning

Research leadership

Publications

Team collaboration

Python

C++

ROS

CUDA

Education

PhD in CS/EE/Robotics

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

ROS

CUDA

C++

Job description

Lab Summary: The Robot Intelligence Lab at Samsung Research America is a new facility dedicated to advancing the field of robotics through cutting-edge research and development. The lab's mission is to develop advanced technologies to power intelligent robotic systems capable of manipulation, navigation, and complex reasoning for a variety of high-impact application areas. To achieve this mission, the lab collaborates closely with external entities such as universities, startups, and government labs, as well as with several Samsung Product and Advanced Research labs.

Position Summary: Samsung Research America is looking for a Principal Research Scientist with solid technical skills and rich academic and/or industry experience in the area of robot reasoning. Our ideal candidate explores novel AI technologies towards generalizing robots to perform tasks in the real world and is passionate at pursuing technology patenting and publication. Samsung's unique advantage in the consumer electronics market and growing focus on AI and robotics will provide you with exciting technical challenges and a rewarding career experience. By leveraging Samsung's vast product ecosystem to deliver novel user experiences, your work will define Samsung's future in robotics and significantly impact real-world users.

Candidates with additional experience are encouraged to apply in and will be considered for other opportunities.

Position Responsibilities

• Conduct ambitious, state-of-the-art research that pushes the boundaries of long-horizon robot autonomy. Areas of expertise include task-and-motion planning (TAMP), agentic robotics, vision language models (VLMs), open-world 3D perception, world models, locomanipulation, and multimodal (vision, tactile, audio, semantic) data fusion
• Lead a team of researchers and engineers to design and implement research prototypes and technology demonstrators on robotic platforms
• Work within cross-functional, cross-divisional teams and assist in the design, analysis and performance evaluation from concept to completion
• Provide technical leadership and assist in shaping R&D priorities by following up-to-date scientific research and communicating key developments
• Establish cooperative projects with universities and startups to investigate topics that explore the frontiers of knowledge and/or deliver unique advantages in key technologies
• Generate patents and scientific research papers for top-tier publication venues

Required Skills

• PhD degree in CS/EE/Robotics, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• 11+ years' post-graduate experience conducting state-of-the-art robotics R&D
• Strong research track-record including multiple first-author publications at top-tier venues in robotics or related fields, e.g., CoRL, ICRA, RAL, RSS, CVPR, ICML, NeurIPS
• Comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of robotics, machine learning, planning, and computer vision
• Demonstrated experience implementing and testing complex integrated behaviors on simulated and real robots
• Knowledgeable of tools and processes for ML model development, tuning, evaluation, and deployment
• Familiarity with PyTorch, TensorFlow, C++, ROS, and CUDA
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent verbal communication and writing skills to effectively represent the derived results and technical concepts developed in the course of the work

Special Attributes

• Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Contribute in a team-oriented environment, while driving your own agenda
• Prioritize multiple tasks in order to consistently meet deadlines
• Creatively solve problems in an analytical environmentResilience to overcome hurdles and address failures with alternative paths
• Adapt quickly to new environments, people, technologies and processes
• High caliber presentation skills with the ability to adapt message to the audience and situation
• Generate ideas while understanding and incorporating different points of view
• Must be willing to travel domestically and internationally (10%)

Our total rewards programs

Our total rewards programs are designed to motivate and engage exceptional talent. The base pay range for roles at this level is listed below, but may be higher or lower in other states due to geographic differentials in the labor market. Within the base pay range, individual rates depend on a number of factors-including the role's function and location as well as the individual's knowledge, skills, experience, education and training. This is part of our comprehensive compensation package with annual bonus eligibility and generous benefits to help you live life well.

Base Pay Range

• $242,500 - $376,650 USD

Additional Information

Disclosure of Trade Secrets

Samsung has a strict policy on trade secrets. In applying to Samsung and progressing through the recruitment process, you must not disclose any trade secrets of a current or previous employer.

Essential Job Functions