Sr. Research Scientist III, WW Sustainability

Amazon • Seattle, WA

1d

About The Position

Join us at the forefront of Amazon's sustainability initiatives to work on
environmental and social advancements that support Amazon's long-term worldwide
sustainability strategy. At Amazon, we're working to be the most
customer-centric company on earth. To get there, we need exceptionally talented,
bright, and driven people who are passionate about making a meaningful impact on
communities and the environment while helping shape the future of sustainable
business practices.

Sustainability Science and Innovation (SSI) is a multi-disciplinary team within
WW Sustainability combining science, analytics, economics, statistics, machine
learning, product development, and engineering expertise. We use data across the
sustainability imperatives (carbon, water, waste, biodiversity, environmental
risk and more) and these skills and capabilities to identify, develop,
experiment, and scale the scientific solutions and innovations necessary for
Amazon, customers and partners to help them solve their hardest unmet and
evolving sustainability needs and goals.

We are seeking an exceptional scientific leader to join Amazon's Sustainability
Science and Innovation team as a Senior Researcher for Autonomous Materials
Innovation. This role combines Physical AI with materials chemistry to
accelerate the discovery and validation of sustainable materials through
autonomous science systems.

As a Senior Researcher in our Sustainability Materials Innovation Lab, you will
lead the design and implementation of autonomous experimental research platforms
that leverage data science and AI to accelerate materials innovation. You will
establish scientific strategy and technical roadmaps for next-generation
autonomous capabilities while leading research initiatives that tackle complex
sustainability challenges in critical industrial sectors. This position requires
driving breakthrough solutions in materials and energy sciences through
strategic partnerships with universities, industry scientists, and government
laboratories.

You will mentor junior scientists and engineers while collaborating across
Amazon's Innovation Lab Network to translate research into scalable solutions.
Your leadership will be essential in developing early-stage, cost-effective
technologies that address significant technical and economic challenges
fundamental to Amazon's operations, requiring you to navigate complex trade-offs
between immediate deliverables and long-term environmental impact.

The ideal candidate demonstrates extensive experience in autonomous
experimentation, materials or chemical sciences, and AI-driven research
methodologies. You must possess proven ability to lead cross-functional teams,
establish research priorities, and drive scientific innovation from concept to
implementation. Deep technical expertise in laboratory automation combined with
strategic vision for translating research into practical applications is
essential.

Your work will establish new paradigms in sustainable materials discovery at the
intersection of Physical AI and materials chemistry, directly contributing to
Amazon's sustainability goals while creating scalable solutions that extend
beyond the company's immediate operations.

Requirements

• 5+ years of investigating the feasibility of applying scientific principles and concepts to business problems and products experience
• PhD, or Master's degree and 5+ years of quantitative field research experience
• Experience with big data technologies such as AWS, Hadoop, Spark, Pig, Hive etc.
• Experience communicating qualitative research methods and findings to non-qualitative researchers

Nice To Haves

• Experience converting research studies into tangible real-world changes
• Experience with discrete and continuous optimization methodologies and algorithms

Responsibilities

• Develop scientific models that help solve complex and ambiguous sustainability problems, and extract strategic learnings from large datasets.
• Work closely with applied scientists and software engineers to implement your scientific models.
• Support early-stage strategic sustainability initiatives and effectively learn from, collaborate with, and influence stakeholders to scale-up high-value initiatives.
• Support research and development of cross-cutting technologies for industrial decarbonization, including building the data foundation and analytics for new AI models.
• Drive innovation in key focus areas including packaging materials, building materials, and alternative fuels.

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

What This Job Offers

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