Applied Scientist II

Amazon • North Reading, MA

20h • Onsite

About The Position

Amazon is seeking exceptional talent to redefine the future of automation by building the next generation of advanced robotic systems. These systems will integrate cutting-edge AI, sophisticated control systems, and novel mechanical design to create adaptable, intelligent automation solutions for dynamic, real-world environments, capable of operating safely alongside humans. At Amazon, we utilize machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced robotics to tackle complex operational challenges at a global scale. As an Applied Scientist in Robot Perception, you will be instrumental in developing and deploying state-of-the-art perception algorithms that enable robots to understand and interact with the physical world, bridging the gap between research and real-world impact. Your expertise in Computer Vision and Vision-Language Models (VLMs) will drive innovation in perception, aiming for seamless, intelligent interaction between users, robots, and their environments. This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of deep learning, large language models, and robotics, contributing to research that reshapes the field. You will collaborate with world-class teams pioneering breakthroughs in manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction at an unprecedented scale.

Requirements

• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
• PhD in engineering, technology, computer science, machine learning, robotics, operations research, statistics, mathematics or equivalent quantitative field
• 1+ years of building machine learning models for business application experience
• 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
• 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
• Contribute to 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
• 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
• Train ML models for deployment in simulation and real-world robots, identify and document their limitations post-deployment
• Contribute to technical discussions within your team and with key stakeholders to develop innovative solutions to address identified limitations
• Actively contribute to brainstorming sessions on adjacent topics, bringing fresh perspectives that help peers grow and succeed — and in doing so, build lasting trust across the team

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)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree