Sr Applied Scientist - Perception (SLAM/VIO), Fauna

Amazon Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 184,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon.com Services LLC seeks a Senior Applied Scientist to develop Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) and sensor fusion for intelligent robots. You will design, implement, and deploy real‑time state estimation and tracking algorithms that enable robots to understand their position and motion.

The role is deeply hands‑on and will own the full pipeline from algorithm development through embedded deployment on resource‑constrained hardware such as Sprout‑class platforms.

Qualifications

• PhD or master’s with 6+ years of applied research experience.
• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement Visual Inertial Odometry algorithms for robust real-time state estimation on robotic platforms like Sprout.
• Develop multi-sensor fusion pipelines integrating cameras, IMUs, and other sensing modalities for accurate pose tracking.
• Optimize perception and tracking algorithms for deployment on embedded hardware under latency and power constraints.
• Apply modern ML-based perception techniques to complement classical geometric approaches.
• Build and maintain calibration, evaluation, and benchmarking infrastructure for perception systems.
• Collaborate with hardware, controls, and navigation teams to integrate perception outputs into the robot’s autonomy stack.
• Lead technical projects from research prototyping through production deployment.

Skills

Java

C++

Python

Education

PhD or Master’s degree

Tools

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

Spark MLLib

MxNet

R

numpy

scipy

Hadoop

Spark

Job description

Job ID: 10580762 | Amazon.com Services LLC

We are seeking a Senior Applied Scientist to develop and optimize Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) and sensor fusion systems for our intelligent robots. In this role, you will design, implement, and deploy state estimation and tracking algorithms that enable robots to understand their position and motion in real time, even in challenging and dynamic environments. You will own the full pipeline from algorithm development through embedded deployment, ensuring that perception systems run efficiently on resource-constrained robotic hardware. You will also leverage modern machine learning approaches to push the boundaries of classical perception methods, combining learned representations with geometric techniques to achieve robust, real-time performance. This is a deeply hands‑on role. You will work directly with sensors, hardware, and real-world data, while prototyping, testing, and iterating in physical environments. The ideal candidate has strong foundations in VIO and sensor fusion, practical experience optimizing algorithms for embedded platforms, and familiarity with how modern deep learning is transforming perception.

Key job responsibilities

• Design and implement Visual Inertial Odometry algorithms for robust real-time state estimation on robotic platforms like Sprout
• Develop multi-sensor fusion pipelines integrating cameras, IMUs, and other sensing modalities for accurate pose tracking
• Optimize perception and tracking algorithms for deployment on embedded hardware (e.g., ARM, GPU-accelerated edge devices) under strict latency and power constraints
• Apply modern ML-based perception techniques (learned features, depth estimation, neural odometry) to complement and improve classical geometric approaches
• Build and maintain calibration, evaluation, and benchmarking infrastructure for perception systems
• Collaborate with hardware, controls, and navigation teams to integrate perception outputs into the robot’s autonomy stack
• Lead technical projects from research prototyping through production deployment

Basic Qualifications

• PhD, or Master's degree and 6+ years of applied research experience
• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with modeling tools such as R, scikit-learn, Spark MLLib, MxNet, Tensorflow, numpy, scipy etc.
• Experience with large scale distributed systems such as Hadoop, Spark etc.

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 .

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with modeling tools such as R, scikit-learn, Spark MLLib, MxNet, Tensorflow, numpy, scipy etc.
• Experience with large scale distributed systems such as Hadoop, Spark etc.

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

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status. Veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.