Applied Scientist II, Perception
About The Position
Amazon is on a mission to redefine the future of automation — and we're looking for exceptional talent to help lead the way. We are building the next generation of advanced robotic systems that seamlessly blend cutting-edge AI, sophisticated control systems, and novel mechanical design to create adaptable, intelligent automation solutions capable of operating safely alongside humans in dynamic, real-world environments. At Amazon, we leverage the power of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced robotics to solve some of the most complex operational challenges at a scale unlike anywhere else in the world. Our fleet of robots spans hundreds of facilities globally, working in sophisticated coordination to deliver on our promise of customer excellence — and we're just getting started. As a Applied Scientist in Robot Perception, you will be at the forefront of this transformation. You will develop and deploy state-of-the-art perception algorithms that enable robots to truly understand and interact with the physical world — bridging the gap between theoretical research and real-world impact. Bringing deep expertise in Computer Vision and a nuanced understanding of the capabilities and limitations of modern Vision-Language Models (VLMs), you will innovate boldly and push the boundaries of what's possible. Our vision for the Perception layer is ambitious: to enable seamless, intelligent interaction between the user, the robot, and its environment. This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of deep learning, large language models, and robotics — contributing to research that doesn't just advance the field, but reshapes it. You will collaborate with world-class teams pioneering breakthroughs in dexterous manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction, all at an unprecedented scale. Join us in building intelligent robotic systems that will define the future of automation and human-robot collaboration.
Requirements
- PhD in engineering, technology, computer science, machine learning, robotics, operations research, statistics, mathematics or equivalent quantitative field
- 2+ years of building machine learning models for business application experience
- Experience with Java, C++, or pother programming languages
- Experience with neural deep learning methods and machine learning
- Have publications at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals
Nice To Haves
- Experience with large scale distributed systems such as Hadoop, Spark etc.
- PhD in Robotics, with a focus on Robot Perception
- Experience leading research initiatives in full-stack robotics or foundation models
- Track record of successful production robotics deployments
- History of technical leadership and team mentorship
- Experience bridging research with practical engineering implementation in robotics systems
- Extensive programming skills in Python and PyTorch/JAX
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and deploy perception algorithms for robotics systems, including object detection, segmentation, tracking, depth estimation, and scene understanding
- Lead research initiatives in computer vision, sensor fusion and 3D perception
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including robotics engineers, software engineers, and product managers to define and deliver perception capabilities
- Drive end-to-end ownership of ML models — from data collection and labeling strategy to training, evaluation, and deployment
- Mentor junior scientists and engineers; contribute to a culture of technical excellence
- Define and track key metrics to measure perception system performance in real-world environments
- Publish research findings in top-tier venues (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICRA, NeurIPS, etc.) and contribute to patents
Benefits
- 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
- parental leave
- sign-on payments
- restricted stock units (RSUs)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
