Research Engineer / Research Scientist, Robotics and Physical AI

ABOUT THE ROLE This is a hands-on research and engineering role at an early-stage AI data company focused on robotics and physical AI. You will work across learning algorithms, simulation, and hardware to push robot capabilities from simulation into real-world deployment, shaping how robots perceive, plan, and act. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Develop learning systems for robots, including policies, world models, and vision-language-action models. - Build and maintain simulation environments and evaluation frameworks for robotic tasks. - Apply and advance computer vision and perception algorithms for autonomous robots. - Build pipelines connecting simulation and real-world robot deployment across real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflows. - Work with robot hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems to prototype and test capabilities. - Train and evaluate reinforcement-learning and imitation-learning systems for manipulation, locomotion, or mobile platforms. - Integrate robot platforms to validate algorithms in the physical world. - Create tools and infrastructure that accelerate robotics research and development. - Collaborate with external robotics companies and research labs on technical challenges. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - Strong software skills in C++ and Python. - Practical experience with deep learning, reinforcement learning, and computer vision. - Demonstrated hands-on robotics research and engineering experience beyond academic prototypes alone. - Real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflow experience; familiarity with simulation platforms such as Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, MJX, or Genesis is a plus. - Hands-on mechanical and hardware engineering experience, including sensors, actuators, CAD, and embedded systems. - Relevant industry experience in a company environment, not solely university research. - Comfort operating as an individual contributor with end-to-end ownership in a small, fast-moving team. - Exposure to modern multimodal AI approaches such as transformers, diffusion models, world models, LLMs, or AI agents is a bonus. - Background from a recognized company or strong university is preferred; genuine robotics depth is required over adjacent ML experience alone. - All experience levels welcome, from new graduates to seasoned researchers. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Salary: $100,000 to $300,000 annually (USD), depending on experience. - Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be eligible to work in the US. LOCATION On-site in San Francisco, California. This role is not remote.