Senior Applied Scientist, Amazon Robotics Vulcan Stow

Amazon Robotics Vulcan is a robotic stowing system that uses a robot arm with a custom end-of-arm tool to place customer items into fulfillment center storage bins alongside human associates. We operate in live fulfillment centers today and are scaling to additional sites globally. The Vulcan Motion team owns the motion stack that makes every interaction between the robot and the bin safe fast and predictable: real-time force-controlled manipulation motion planning for insert and retract behaviors compliant contact behaviors and the safety envelope around all of it.

We have many areas that need experienced scientists to drive from prototype to deployment at a global scale. For example: the framework our team uses to design benchmark and select controllers for each contact-rich behavior; the long-term controller roadmap with our industrial robot-arm vendors; the functional-safety envelope for live deployment; and the recovery architecture the robot uses when unexpected contact occurs. You may own one or two of these arcs depending on team needs and your strengths.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will write production C and Python review code and hold the technical bar on real-time control design selections that affect every cycle the robot executes. You will lead collaborations between our team and external partner teams in vision hardware and operations.


Key job responsibilities
- Research propose architect and deliver complex features such as unified contact-control frameworks robot-arm integration roadmaps functional-safety envelopes and motion recovery architectures.
- Bring recent scientific advances in force control compliant manipulation and sim-to-real transfer into production.
- Lead significant architectural and strategic initiatives together with more junior teammates.
- Work across cross-disciplinary teams (hardware safety operations vendor engineering) to deliver novel synergistic features and capabilities.
- Stay current with recent advances in robotics control manipulation and industrial automation.
- Own the technical bar on real-time control design decisions and serve as the senior technical interface to external robot-arm engineering teams.

A day in the life
Amazon offers a full range of benefits that support you and eligible family members including domestic partners. Benefits can vary by location the number of regularly scheduled hours you work length of employment and job status such as seasonal or temporary employment. The benefits that generally apply to regular full-time employees include:
1. Medical Dental and Vision Coverage
2. Maternity and Parental Leave Options
3. Paid Time Off (PTO)
4. 401(k) Plan

If you are not sure that every qualification on the list above describes you exactly wed still love to hear from you! At Amazon we value people with unique backgrounds experiences and skillsets. If youre passionate about this role and want to make an impact on a global scale please apply!

About the team
Motion is one of several teams inside Amazon Robotics Vulcan. We ship weekly to live fulfillment centers operate a fast iteration loop with real production data and work across the full motion stack from real-time controllers on hardware up through mission-level motion planning. We are looking for a senior Applied Scientist to help drive the next generation of robot behaviors alongside a strong existing team. If you want to go deep on controls problems stay hands-on with hardware and contribute to architectural direction this role is for you.

- PhD or Masters degree and 6 years of applied research experience
- Experience programming in Java C Python or related language
- 5 years of experience designing and deploying motion controllers for robotic manipulators in industrial collaborative or research settings (e.g. warehouse robotics exoskeletons home robots aerospace or equivalent)
- Hands-on experience with force- and torque-feedback control admittance control or compliant manipulation on physical hardware
- Experience with real-time high-rate control systems

- Experience deploying and supporting complex robotic systems at scale
- Sim-to-real deployment experience using physics simulators such as MuJoCo Isaac Sim or Gazebo
- Experience applying high-performance motion planning and controls to third-party robot arms
- Publications at relevant conferences such as IROS ICRA RSS CoRL ROMAN CASE Humanoids or in journals such as T-RO RA-L IJRR on contact-based manipulation motion planning force control or sim-to-real transfer

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 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 WA Seattle - 167100.00 - 226100.00 USD annually