Senior Applied Research Scientist

2100 NVIDIA USA; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 184,000 - 357,000; Full time

Job summary

NVIDIA Corporation is seeking a Senior Applied Research Scientist to help build multimodal search and curation systems for Physical AI. You will work with world‑class researchers to solve data problems at petabyte scale across video, sensor, and language modalities.

You will translate research into production‑grade software, publish findings, and mentor junior researchers. A strong background in ML, IR, robotics or multimodal AI is required; experience shipping real systems and clear

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in machine learning, information retrieval, robotics, AV, or multimodal AI (or equivalent experience).
• Deep understanding of data challenges in Physical AI.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals; production‑grade systems.
• Clear, compelling communication; able to explain tradeoffs to non-experts.
• Mentoring junior researchers or engineers is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Research multimodal search and curation systems for Physical AI data: video, lidar, radar, text, etc.
• Develop datasets, benchmarks, and frameworks for data curation; publish findings.
• Translate research into production‑grade software; write papers, blogs and docs.
• Stay current with data curation, information retrieval and multimodal learning.

Skills

Machine learning

Information retrieval

Robotics

Multimodal AI

Software engineering

Communication

Education

MS or PhD in relevant field

Job description

NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It's a unique legacy of innovation that's fueled by great technology-and amazing people. Today, we're tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what's never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world's best talent. As an NVIDIAN, you'll be immersed in an inclusive, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work. Come join the team and see how you can make a lasting impact on the world.

The Data and Agent Loop Lab is looking for a Senior Applied Research Scientist to help us build the next generation of multimodal search and curation systems for Physical AI. We're building the foundation for robots, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent machines that can perceive, reason, and act in the real world. The data that trains these systems is as important as the models themselves, and the team sits at the center of that challenge. You'll work alongside world-class researchers and engineers to solve some of the hardest data problems in AI - at petabyte scale, across video, sensor, and language modalities.

Key Responsibilities

• Researching and designing multimodal search and curation systems optimized for Physical AI data - video, lidar, radar, text, and more. These systems help researchers and customers find, filter, and surface the highest-quality data - including embedding-based retrieval, quality scoring models, active learning loops, and relevance evaluation frameworks.
• Developing datasets, benchmarks, and experimental frameworks that establish guidelines for data curation in robotics and AV contexts - and publishing those findings so the community can benefit.
• Translating research into production-grade software; writing papers, blog posts, and documentation that help customers understand and apply our methods.
• Staying current with the latest in data curation, information retrieval, and multimodal learning - and bringing those insights back to the team.

Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in a relevant field - machine learning, information retrieval, robotics, AV, or multimodal AI (or equivalent experience) 8+ years of industry or research experience.
• Deep understanding of the data challenges specific to Physical AI.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals - experience shipping production-grade systems, not just research prototypes.
• Clear, compelling communication: you can write a great paper and explain a tradeoff to a non-expert collaborator!
• Experience mentoring junior researchers or engineers is a plus.

Ways to stand out from the crowd

• Hands-on experience with data curation or search in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or embodied AI.
• Familiarity with model training pipelines and the role data quality plays in model performance.
• Experience with large-scale video data - collection, processing, and retrieval.
• Prior work on semantic or neural search (dense retrieval, CLIP-style embeddings, multimodal indexing).
• Publications in top venues on data-centric AI, information retrieval, or multimodal learning.

Compensation & Benefits

With competitive salaries and a generous benefits package (www.nvidiabenefits.com), we are widely considered to be one of the technology world's most desirable employers.

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary ranges for this position are: 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD for Level 4; and 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Application Details

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until November 9, 2026. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes. NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Learn more about NVIDIA.