Robotics Applied Scientist, Active Perception

FieldAI; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, sensors, and field deployments. We build risk‑aware, field‑ready AI systems that solve hard robotics problems and unlock embodied intelligence.

We seek a PhD in robotics or related field to advance active perception, viewpoint planning, vision-language reasoning, and real-world experiments with robots. You will mentor teammates and help shape the roadmap for impactful deployments.

Qualifications

• PhD in robotics or related field with publications at top venues.
• Research in active perception, informative path planning, vision-language models, or semantic mapping.
• Hands-on work with vision-language or foundation models for robot perception and the physics behind them.
• Fluency in Python and ability to run methods on real robots with C++ and ROS 2.
• Principled fluency with uncertainty: Bayesian or information-theoretic planning and calibration.

Responsibilities

• Formulate active perception problems for inspection and robot behaviors.
• Develop viewpoint planning policies for active information gathering.
• Research calibrated confidence and abstention for vision-language reasoning on the robot.
• Own the R&D work through real-world experiments proving feasibility and deployability.
• Shape the technical roadmap aligning real-world needs with development.
• Mentor junior team members and collaborators.

Skills

Robotics research

Active perception

Informative path planning

Vision-language models

Python

C++

ROS 2

Education

PhD in robotics or related field

Tools

ROS 2

Git

Job description

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk‑aware, reliable, field‑ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data‑driven approaches or pure transformer‑only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

What You Will Get To Do

• Formulate the active perception problem for inspection and a broad range of robot behaviors

• Develop viewpoint planning policies for active information gathering

• Research calibrated confidence and abstention for vision‑language reasoning on the robot

• Own the research and development work through to the real‑world experiments that prove feasibility and deployability

• Investigate and shape the technical roadmap, aligning real‑world needs with technical development

• Mentor junior team members and collaborators

What You Have

• PhD in robotics, computer science, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field, with publications at top venues such as RSS, CoRL, ICRA, IROS, T‑FR, T‑RO, CVPR, NeurIPS, or similar.

• Research experience in active perception, informative path planning, vision‑language models, or semantic mapping for exploration.

• Hands‑on work with vision‑language or foundation models for robot perception, plus the physical principles governing them.

• Fluency in Python and the ability to run your methods on real robots with C++ and ROS 2.

• A principled fluency with uncertainty: Bayesian or information‑theoretic planning, calibration, and conformal methods.

What Will Set You Apart

• Real‑robot experience in the wild

• Work on metric‑semantic scene graphs, open‑vocabulary mapping, or spatio‑temporal scene representations.

• Experience fine‑tuning or deploying compact VLMs on edge computers.

• Exposure to robotic industrial inspection workflows.

Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.

Why Join FieldAI in Irvine?

In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real‑world use.

You will collaborate with a world‑class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution

We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.

Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field‑ready autonomy looks like.

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.