Research Engineer - Robotic Hardware, Simulation and Data

Decisive Point; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 423,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement benefits with employer match

Learning and wellness stipends

Paid time off

Job summary

Applied Intuition, located in Sunnyvale, California, is seeking a passionate Research Engineer to join its Research Group. This role focuses on cutting-edge technology for autonomous driving and robotics, requiring strong engineering skills and collaboration with leading experts in the field.

The successful candidate will work on building robotic systems, processing data, and contributing to research publications for top-tier conferences, all while interfacing with engineering teams to deploy algorithms for real-world applications.

Benefits include a competitive salary, equity options, and comprehensive health insurance.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in humanoid or general robotics.
• Experience in large-scale robotic simulation and RL training.
• Technical experience in distributed machine learning model training.

Responsibilities

• Support robotic and data collection hardware setup.
• Construct robotic simulation environments at scale.
• Process human data for robotic applications.

Skills

Robotics experience

Machine learning

Data processing

Python

Computer vision

Education

MSc or PhD in machine learning, computer vision, or related field

Tools

Pytorch

Robotic simulation tools

Job description

About Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at 15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo.

We are an in‑office company

Employees primarily work from the Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. The company recognizes flexibility and trusts employees to manage schedules responsibly. Remote work may include occasional remote days, morning meetings from home, or early departures for family commitments.

About the role and team

We are looking for a passionate Research Engineer to join the Research Group at Applied Intuition. The mission of the group is to create cutting‑edge technology enabling next‑generation physical AI, with emphasis on the two most challenging applications reshaping everyday life: end‑to‑end autonomous driving and robotic generalist. The group includes leading experts from top institutions and companies, recognized for their exceptional academic and industry contributions—including eight Best Paper awards at premier conferences and journals such as CVPR and ICRA.

Supported by industry‑leading tools and infrastructure, researchers can access millions of miles of data from large fleets, and deploy methods they develop into various autonomous and robotic systems including self‑driving cars/trucks, autonomous mining/construction machines, humanoid robots, and dexterous hands. In addition to research contributions, you will contribute to and learn from best practices in the autonomy and robotics industries within a fast‑paced, customer‑focused culture. Improvements deployed to the system immediately help customers with their programs and deliver value to the business.

We are open to all years of experience, including those with potential Tech Lead and Manager capacity.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Support the team for robotic and data collection hardware setup, and design the mechatronic system for customized demands.
• Construct robotic simulation environments at scale and use them for RL training.
• Process human data for robotic use cases.
• Work closely with Research Scientists and interns on high‑quality research publications to submit to top‑tier conferences.
• Collaborate with engineering teams on ADAS, data, and simulation to deploy end‑to‑end algorithms for mass‑production vehicles, and neural simulation/generation for tools supporting autonomy development.

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Hands‑on experience in at least one of the following fields:
  • Humanoid, general robotics and human data collection hardware experiences (both utilization and design).
  • Large‑scale robotic simulation construction, deformable object simulation, and its utilization in RL training.
  • Human data processing, retargeting, pose estimation, SLAM.
• Passion for next‑generation, scalable autonomy and robotics for real‑world systems.
• Strong engineering and research skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively on projects.
• Technical experience in Python, Pytorch, computer vision, robotics systems, and distributed machine learning model training.

Nice to have:

• Industry experience on relevant topics (self‑driving application preferred).
• MSc or PhD in machine learning and computer vision with autonomy and robotics applications or closely related field.
• Passion for building and shipping customer‑focused software frameworks or tools.

Compensation

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting’s subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full‑time position in the location listed is: 126,000 - 423,000 USD annually.

Benefits

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401(k) retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

EEO Statement

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60‑1.4(a), 41 CFR 60‑300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60‑741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.