Applied Scientist II, Foundation Model, Industrial Robotics Group

Amazon Industrial Robotics is seeking exceptional talent to help develop the next generation of advanced robotics systems that will transform automation at Amazons scale. Were building revolutionary robotic systems that combine cutting-edge AI sophisticated control systems and advanced mechanical design to create adaptable automation solutions capable of working safely alongside humans in dynamic environments. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of robotics and automation at unprecedented scale working with world-class teams pushing the boundaries of whats possible in robotic manipulation locomotion and human-robot interaction. This role presents an opportunity to shape the future of robotics through innovative applications of deep learning and large language models.

We leverage advanced robotics machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve complex operational challenges at unprecedented scale. Our fleet of robots operates across hundreds of facilities worldwide working in sophisticated coordination to fulfill our mission of customer excellence.

We are pioneering the development of robotics foundation models that:
- Enable unprecedented generalization across diverse tasks
- Integrate multi-modal learning capabilities (visual tactile linguistic)
- Accelerate skill acquisition through demonstration learning
- Enhance robotic perception and environmental understanding
- Streamline development processes through reusable capabilities

The ideal candidate will contribute to research that bridges the gap between theoretical advancement and practical implementation in robotics. You will be part of a team thats revolutionizing how robots learn adapt and interact with their environment.

Join us in building the next generation of intelligent robotics systems that will transform the future of automation and human-robot collaboration.

As an Applied Scientist you will develop and improve machine learning systems that help robots perceive reason and act in real-world environments. You will leverage state-of-the-art models (open source and internal research) evaluate them on representative tasks and adapt/optimize them to meet robustness safety and performance needs. You will invent new algorithms where gaps exist. Youll collaborate closely with research controls hardware and product-facing teams and your outputs will be used by downstream teams to further customize and deploy on specific robot embodiments.

Key job responsibilities
- Leverage state-of-the-art models for targeted tasks environments and robot embodiments through fine-tuning and optimization.
- Execute rapid rigorous experimentation with reproducible results and solid engineering practices closing the gap between sim and real environments.
- Build and run capability evaluations/benchmarks to clearly profile performance generalization and failure modes.
- Contribute to the data and training workflow: collection/curation dataset quality/provenance and repeatable training recipes.
- Write clean maintainable well commented and documented code contribute to training infrastructure create tools for model evaluation and testing and implement necessary APIs
- Stay current with latest developments in foundation models and robotics assist in literature reviews and research documentation prepare technical reports and presentations and contribute to research discussions and brainstorming sessions.
- Work closely with senior scientists engineers and leaders across multiple teams participate in knowledge sharing support integration efforts with robotics hardware teams and help document best practices and methodologies.

- Experience writing and publishing technical documents or equivalent
- PhD or Masters 4 years building ML models/algorithms in applied settings.
- 2 years hands-on experience in deep learning with strength in at least one: computer vision multimodal models imitation learning / RL for robotics or human-robot interaction.
- Strong programming skills in Python plus one of C/Java; ability to write production-quality research code.
- Demonstrated ability to design rigorous experiments analyze results and iterate quickly with reproducible baselines.

- Experience using Unix/Linux
- Experience in professional software development

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

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees supervisors and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees supervisors and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal state and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct adverse and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies exercise sound judgment effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism and safeguard business operations and the Companys reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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 for more information. If the country/region youre applying in isnt 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 CA Sunnyvale - 171600.00 - 222200.00 USD annually