GM-posted 6 days ago
Full-time • Principal
Hybrid • Mountain View, CA
5,001-10,000 employees

Our AI Research team is building end-to-end robot policies that enable dexterous manipulation in real-world environments. We are advancing embodied AI by integrating multimodal perception , robot learning architectures, and physical execution systems to solve manipulation, autonomy, and simulation challenges at an industrial scale. As a Principal Applied Scientist , y ou will define technical direction, create breakthrough robot learning methodologies, and drive the execution of large-scale initiatives that deliver end-to-end manipulation policies. You will architect new model families, lead cross-functional research efforts, and guide teams in transitioning scientific advances into reliable robotic capabilities deployed in real systems.

  • Define the research strategy and technical roadmap for embodied manipulation policies that span perception , training, control, and deployment.
  • Invent or advance robot learning architectures (e.g., diffusion-based policies, ACT-style agents, multimodal embodied transformers) to enable robust dexterous manipulation.
  • Architect end-to-end policy systems from multimodal sensing to hardware control, across simulation and real environments.
  • Establish standards for data generation, demonstrations, simulation fidelity, evaluation, and sim-to-real adaptation for manipulation tasks.
  • Guide cross-functional efforts to scale robot learning from prototypes to production , including reliability constraints, observability, and performance guarantees.
  • Mentor scientists and engineers, influence hiring, and shape research priorities within the organization.
  • Represent GM in external communities (e.g., CoRL , RSS, ICRA, NeurIPS ), pursue collaborations, and drive thought leadership in embodied AI.
  • PhD in a relevant STEM field , with a recognized track record in robotics, robot learning, or embodied AI.
  • Significant experience designing and deploying robot learning systems on physical hardware , including manipulation tasks and real-time policy execution.
  • Expertise in modern AI architectures (Transformers, diffusion models, VLM/VLA agents, imitation learning, offline RL) and ability to extend them to new embodied scenarios.
  • Mastery of PyTorch , including model internals, performance optimization, distributed training, and debugging complex failures.
  • Hands-on experience with ROS/ROS2 , motion planning stacks, and integration of ML components into robotic platforms.
  • Evidence of high-impact contributions : top-tier publications, influential open-source efforts, field deployments, or foundational algorithms.
  • Proven ability to lead ambiguous multi-disciplinary research programs and deliver tangible embodied AI outcomes.
  • Experience establishing research agendas in robot learning or dexterous manipulation that resulted in widely adopted systems or protocols .
  • Leadership of projects involving perception → policy → control integration , staged training, or multi-robot deployment.
  • Deep expertise in at least one advanced area: Dexterous manipulation / affordance-driven action Multi-step task sequencing / long horizon reasoning Offline RL or imitation learning at scale Physics-informed or tactile-informed policies Foundation models for embodied agents
  • Strong industry or academic presence: invited talks, program committees, major open-source contributions, or collaborations with robotics research institutions.
  • GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs.
  • Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more.
  • Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, through which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate.
  • This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.
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