Open Call – Research Engineer / Scientist
About The Position
1X is building humanoid robots for home use, aiming to automate chores and tasks to give people more free time. This involves solving complex challenges in robotics, AI, and manufacturing simultaneously, at scale, and ensuring the robots are safe for family environments. The company has been working on this since 2014 and is now focused on shipping its flagship product, NEO, a home robot designed for real-world operation alongside people. 1X Labs specifically focuses on providing the science and technology for human-level, general-purpose humanoid robots, identifying capability gaps and pursuing fundamental advances in various fields from research to product integration. This role is for individuals with deep expertise motivated by multi-disciplinary problem-solving, where research must lead to tangible product outcomes. The charter for this position is to bring ideas, prototypes, technologies, or insights that can materially advance humanoid performance, with a focus on identifying capability gaps and developing credible paths to close them, transforming ambitious ideas into evidence, working prototypes, and scalable product technologies.
Requirements
- Exceptional technical depth in at least one relevant field, combined with the ability to reason across adjacent disciplines
- Strong bias toward execution, experimentation, and evidence-based decision making
- Demonstrated ability to independently originate, develop, and validate ambitious technical ideas
- Comfort operating in highly ambiguous environments with minimal predefined structure
- Persistence and intellectual honesty when confronting difficult technical problems
- First-author or equivalent high-impact scientific publication in a relevant technical field
- Development of a prototype, system, or technology that materially advanced the state of the art
- Experience founding or co-founding a technical venture and successfully bringing deep-technology products or technologies into the world
- Demonstrated track record of carrying complex technical ideas from concept through implementation and validation
- Clear evidence of exceptional technical achievement beyond traditional academic or industry credentials
Nice To Haves
- Expertise in robotics, AI, controls, sensing, actuation, materials science, manufacturing, neuroscience, biomechanics, or other fields relevant to humanoid robotics
- Experience building and validating physical systems in real-world environments
- Experience leading highly technical projects or research efforts
- Strong interdisciplinary reasoning across hardware, software, and system-level challenges
- Demonstrated ability to translate research into deployable products
Responsibilities
- Develop and validate technologies that meaningfully advance humanoid capability toward human-level performance
- Demonstrate measurable improvements through rigorous experimentation, benchmarking, and real-world validation
- Translate novel research ideas into working systems, prototypes, or platforms that can be evaluated and integrated
- Identify and overcome fundamental technical bottlenecks that limit current robotic performance
- Create credible paths from early-stage research to scalable product implementation
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
- 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
- Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
- Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
- Onsite snacks and catered lunches
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
