Senior Applied Scientist

Amazon • San Francisco, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Amazon is redefining the future of automation by building the next generation of advanced robotic systems. These systems integrate cutting-edge AI, sophisticated control systems, and novel mechanical design to create adaptable, intelligent automation solutions that can operate safely alongside humans in dynamic, real-world environments. At Amazon, we leverage machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced robotics to solve complex operational challenges at a global scale. As a Sr. Applied Scientist in Robot Perception, you will develop and deploy state-of-the-art perception algorithms that enable robots to understand and interact with the physical world. You will bring deep expertise in Computer Vision and a nuanced understanding of Vision-Language Models (VLMs) to innovate and push boundaries. The vision for the Perception layer is to enable seamless, intelligent interaction between the user, the robot, and its environment. 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 dexterous manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction at an unprecedented scale.

Requirements

• PhD in engineering, technology, computer science, machine learning, robotics, operations research, statistics, mathematics or equivalent quantitative field
• 3+ years of building machine learning models for business application experience
• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
• 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
• Train ML models for deployment in simulation and real-world robots, identify and document their limitations post-deployment
• Drive 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
• Mentor team members while maintaining significant hands-on contribution to technical solutions

Benefits

• sign-on payments
• restricted stock units (RSUs)
• 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

What This Job Offers

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