Senior Research Scientist: Dynamics and Control

Holiday Robotics; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-covered Health Insurance

Competitive equity packages

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Holiday Robotics in Mountain View, CA, seeks a Senior Research Scientist focused on dynamics and control of robotics. Your role will be to design and implement advanced manipulation algorithms for our humanoid robot, optimizing its interaction with physical objects and enabling real-world applications.

The ideal applicant will have extensive experience in robotics, particularly in control systems, motion planning, and coding practices. We offer a competitive salary range of $200,000 – $300,000 along with comprehensive health benefits and relocation assistance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in robotics, focusing on dynamics and control.
• Strong theoretical understanding of rigid body mechanics and dynamics.
• Proficiency with modern programming and coding practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement manipulation algorithms for humanoid robots.
• Collaborate with hardware and firmware teams on system identification.
• Work with machine learning teams to develop control policies.

Skills

Dynamics and control expertise

Motion planning

Control theory

Optimization techniques

AI-assisted coding

Education

MS or Ph.D. in Robotics or related field

Tools

Robotic simulation software

Job description

Job Title: Senior Research Scientist: Dynamics and Control

Company: Holiday Robotics Research Inc.

Location: Mountain View, CA (On-site)

About Us

Holiday Robotics Research Inc. is the US subsidiary of Holiday Robotics, the fastest-growing robotics company in South Korea. After securing $100 million in Series A funding—a historic record in South Korea—we expanded to the US to recruit the industry's top robotics talent. We are working relentlessly to deploy our robots out of controlled lab environments, with the ultimate goal of freeing humans from tedious, dangerous, and repetitive tasks. We build our systems entirely from scratch—engineering the hardware, firmware, low-level controllers, simulators, and end-user software in-house. We are looking for driven researchers and engineers ready to embark on this journey with us and make a tangible, lasting impact.

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Research Scientist to drive research in the dynamics and control of dexterous, contact-rich manipulation. Your primary role is to design control algorithms that enable our robot to interact with physical objects, transitioning your research into real-world deployment for highly adaptable tasks such as assembly, object transport, and complex bimanual manipulation.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement manipulation algorithms for our mobile-based humanoid robot, Friday, focusing on bimanual manipulation using multi-fingered hands.
• Develop and optimize the complete manipulation pipeline, including perception, grasping, trajectory optimization, motion planning, and control.
• Collaborate closely with the hardware, firmware, and control teams on the exact modeling and system identification of complex mechanical systems. Leverage these models to build highly accurate digital twins in our in-house simulator, conducting rigorous testing across both simulated and real-world environments.
• Work closely with machine learning teams to train and deploy robust control policy to the real world for complex manipulation tasks.

Required Qualifications

• MS, or Ph.D. in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a strictly related quantitative field.
• 7+ years of experience (or 5+ years with an advanced degree) in robotics, with a strong emphasis on the dynamics and control of physical robotic arms (both custom-built and commercially available systems).
• Deep theoretical and applied understanding of rigid body mechanics and dynamics, encompassing topics such as (differentiable) Forward/Inverse Kinematics, Analytic/Geometric Jacobians, and Screw/Wrench formulations.
• Strong background in motion planning, control theory, and optimization, prioritizing mathematical exactness for governing physical equations.
• Proficiency in modern, AI-assisted coding practices. You should be able to leverage tools like Claude Code or Codex to rapidly write, debug, and optimize code, accelerating the transition from theoretical research to real-robot deployment.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience applying Reinforcement Learning (RL) or generative AI models to robotic manipulators.
• Experience designing and implementing vision-to-servo pipelines for performance under dynamic lighting and occlusions.
• Proven track record of bridging the Sim-to-Real gap by validating physical models in real-world environments.
• Expertise in bimanual manipulation, including object handovers, dual-arm coordination, and force/wrench control.

What We Offer

• Base Salary Range of $200,000 – $300,000 USD annually, commensurate with experience and technical proficiency.
• Competitive equity packages in a rapidly growing, well-funded startup.
• 100% employer-covered Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, and Vision Insurance (Full Network PPO).
• Relocation assistance and stipends available for out-of-state candidates.