Senior Research Engineer, Controls

PlusAI, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catered lunch

Unlimited snacks

401(k) plan

Job summary

PlusAI, Inc. is seeking a Research Engineer to advance its autonomy motion planning and control stack. You will develop machine-learning vehicle models and learning-based control policies for our autonomous trucking platform.

Collaborate with engineers and researchers to run offline simulations and real-world testing, ensuring real-time performance on compute-constrained hardware. This role offers opportunities to push frontiers in autonomous driving and contribute to scalable data-driven

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in CS, ME, robotics, aerospace or related field.
• 2+ years of MLE or robotics software development experience.
• Strong foundation in motion control and neural network architectures (IL/RL/time-series).
• Proficient debugging in Linux; strong Python and C++ skills.
• Experience developing and training models with PyTorch.
• Hands-on data ingestion and processing pipeline experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement control algorithms integrating MPC with learning-based methods.
• Collaborate with domain experts to deploy data-driven controllers.
• Build tools for data generation, training, and evaluation for online control.
• Keep model development real-time and efficient on compute-constrained hardware.
• Lead vehicle testing in simulation and on road; perform troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
• Track and apply the latest research advancements.

Education

Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

Python

C++

PyTorch

Job description

PlusAI is a Physical AI company pioneering AI-based virtual driver software for factory-built autonomous trucks. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with operations in the United States and Europe, Plus was named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Partners including TRATON GROUP’s Scania, MAN, and International brands, Hyundai Motor Company, Iveco Group, Bosch, and DSV are working with Plus to accelerate the deployment of next-generation autonomous trucks. If you’re ready to make a huge impact and drive the future of autonomy, Plus is looking for talented individuals to join its fast-growing teams.

As a Research Engineer, you will deliver mission-critical improvements and new features for our autonomy motion planning and control stack. You will be a crucial part of our team, working alongside engineers, research scientists, and domain experts to build optimal and data driven controls to realize planned vehicle trajectories.

Your responsibilities will include the development of machine-learning vehicle models and learning based control policies leveraging the extensive data we collect every day across our autonomous trucking fleet. You will also have the opportunity to solve real-world autonomy system challenges by participating in vehicle performance analysis, tuning, and troubleshooting. You will contribute significantly to our commitment to pushing the frontiers of technological innovation in Autonomy.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and enhance control algorithms by developing frameworks that integrate MPC with learning based approaches (DL/RL/IL)
• Work cross-functionally with domain experts to implement data driven controller design for scalability
• Develop tools and infrastructure for dataset generation, training, and evaluation to drive advancements in online control optimization
• Ensure all model development keeps a real-time focus and operates efficiently in compute-constrained environments
• Take a lead role in the planning and execution of vehicle testing in the offline simulation environment and on the public road to systematically improve performance, as well as performing root cause analysis and debugging to address the issues
• Track and incorporate the latest research advancements

Required Skills

• Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering or related field
• 2+ years of MLE experience or industry experience designing and developing for robotics applications
• Strong foundation in motion control and modern neural network architectures, with expertise in at least one application area, such as IL/RL, time-series analysis, or dynamic system modeling
• Skilled in debugging robotic systems within Linux environments, with strong programming expertise in Python and C++
• Experience model development & training with modern frameworks (e.g. PyTorch)
• Hands-on familiarity with data ingestion and processing pipelines

Preferred Skills

• Hands-on application skills in any of the following areas: adaptive and nonlinear control, MPC & optimal control, robust control, data-driven control, Kalman filters, etc.
• Have a solid understanding of AV control, vehicle dynamics and drive-by-wire systems
• Proven expertise with application, verification and validation for ADAS/autonomous driving features and functions

Work, learn and grow in a highly future-oriented, innovative and dynamic field.

Wide range of opportunities for personal and professional development.

Catered free lunch, unlimited snacks and beverages.

Highly competitive salary and benefits package, including 401(k) plan.