Robot Navigation Scientist - ML, Perception & Autonomy

Amazon; Reading (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon is seeking a Scientist in Robot Navigation to architect and deliver intelligent navigation systems for autonomous robots. You will leverage learning-based planning, MPC-based trajectory planning, and foundation models to enable safe, scalable navigation in dynamic environments.

You will lead research bridging academic advances with production-grade deployment, collaborating with teams across robotics, software, and product management, while mentoring junior scientists and engineers to

Qualifications

• PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Controls, or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience in robot navigation, motion planning, or autonomous systems.
• Deep expertise in learning-based approaches to navigation (e.g., imitation learning, reinforcement learning, neural motion planning).
• Strong experience with Model Predictive Control (MPC) and optimization-based planning (PyTorch, JAX, or equivalent).
• Proven track record of translating research into deployed systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy perception algorithms for robotics systems, including object detection, segmentation, tracking, depth estimation, and scene understanding.
• Lead research initiatives in computer vision, sensor fusion and 3D perception.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and deliver perception capabilities.
• Drive end-to-end ownership of ML models — from data collection and labeling strategy to training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers; contribute to a culture of technical excellence.
• Define and track key metrics to measure perception system performance in real-world environments.
• Publish research findings in top-tier venues and contribute to patents.
• Train ML models for deployment in simulation and real-world robots, identify and document their limitations post-deployment.

Skills

Mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Strong communication

Education

PhD in Robotics or related field

Tools

ROS/ROS2

PyTorch

JAX

Job description

Amazon is seeking a Scientist in Robot Navigation to architect and deliver intelligent navigation systems for autonomous robots. You will leverage learning-based planning, MPC-based trajectory planning, and foundation models to enable safe, scalable navigation in dynamic environments.

You will lead research bridging academic advances with production-grade deployment, collaborating with teams across robotics, software, and product management, while mentoring junior scientists and engineers to