Senior Applied Scientist, Fauna

Amazon; New York (NY); On-site; USD 183,800 - 248,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Job summary

A leading tech company in New York seeks an Applied Scientist to innovate evaluation frameworks for robotic capabilities. Responsibilities include designing measurement systems, collaborating on data pipelines, and mentoring scientists. The ideal candidate holds a PhD or Master's and has extensive research experience, programming expertise, and a background in machine learning. Expected salary ranges from $183,800 to $248,700 annually with comprehensive benefits including health insurance and 401(k) matching.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master's degree and 6+ years of applied research experience.
• 3+ years of industry or academic research experience.
• Experience building ML models or algorithms for business applications.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement evaluation frameworks to measure robot capabilities.
• Develop task definitions and success criteria for consistent evaluation.
• Analyze evaluation results to identify performance gaps.

Skills

Java

C++

Machine learning

Robotics systems

Deep learning

Education

PhD or Master's degree

Tools

Teleoperation systems

Simulation environments

Job description

We are seeking an Applied Scientist to lead the development of evaluation frameworks and data collection protocols for robotic capabilities. In this role, you will focus on designing how we measure, stress‑test, and improve robot behavior across a wide range of real‑world tasks. Your work will play a critical role in shaping how policies are validated and how high‑quality datasets are generated to accelerate system performance.

You will operate at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and human‑in‑the‑loop systems, building the infrastructure and methodologies that connect teleoperation, evaluation, and learning. This includes developing evaluation policies, defining task structures, and contributing to operator‑facing interfaces that enable scalable and reliable data collection.

The ideal candidate is highly experimental, systems‑oriented, and comfortable working across software, robotics, and data pipelines, with a strong focus on turning ambiguous capability goals into measurable and actionable evaluation systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement evaluation frameworks to measure robot capabilities across structured tasks, edge cases, and real‑world scenarios
• Develop task definitions, success criteria, and benchmarking methodologies that enable consistent and reproducible evaluation of policies
• Create and refine data collection protocols that generate high‑quality, task‑relevant datasets aligned with model development needs
• Build and iterate on teleoperation workflows and operator interfaces to support efficient, reliable, and scalable data collection
• Analyze evaluation results and collected data to identify performance gaps, failure modes, and opportunities for targeted data collection
• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate evaluation tooling, logging systems, and data pipelines into the broader robotics stack
• Stay current with advances in robotics, evaluation methodologies, and human‑in‑the‑loop learning to continuously improve internal approaches
• Lead technical projects from conception through production deployment
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers

Basic Qualifications

• PhD, or Master’s degree and 6+ years of applied research experience
• 3+ years of industry or academic research experience
• Experience with Java, C++, or other programming languages
• 5+ years of building machine learning models or developing algorithms for business applications
• Experience leading technical initiatives and key deliverables
• Experience in patents or publication at top‑tier conferences
• Demonstrated expertise in deep learning and model development
• Strong experience with robotics systems, control, or embodied AI
• Experience designing evaluation methodologies, benchmarks, or experimental frameworks for large‑scale ML models or robotic systems
• Familiarity with teleoperation systems, simulation environments, or human‑in‑the‑loop data collection

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in patents or publications at top‑tier peer‑reviewed conferences or journals
• Experience managing and deploying ML products
• Experience leading research initiatives in robotics or foundation models

Amazon is an equal‑opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign‑on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, NY, New York - 183,800.00 - 248,700.00 USD annually