Research Engineer / Research Scientist — Robotics & Physical AI

ABOUT THE ROLE Join a small, high-impact team at an early-stage, Y Combinator–backed AI research company building the data and learning systems that enable robots to perceive, reason, and act in the physical world. This is a rare opportunity to work across the full stack — from learning algorithms and simulation to real hardware — and to do research that ships into real-world deployments. The team operates at the intersection of Physical AI, embodied intelligence, and high-quality training data, collaborating with leading robotics companies and research labs. All levels of experience are welcome, from new graduates to seasoned researchers and engineers. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Develop learning systems for robots, including policies, world models, and vision-language-action (VLA) models. - Build and maintain simulation environments and evaluation frameworks for robotic tasks. - Apply and advance computer vision and perception algorithms for autonomous robots. - Build pipelines connecting simulation and real-world robot deployment (real-to-sim and sim-to-real). - Work hands-on with robot hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems to prototype and validate capabilities. - Train and evaluate reinforcement-learning (RL) and imitation-learning systems for manipulation, locomotion, or mobile platforms. - Integrate and experiment with robot platforms to validate algorithms in the physical world. - Create internal tools and infrastructure that accelerate robotics R&D. - Collaborate with external robotics companies and research labs on technical challenges. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Required: - Eligibility to work in the United States without employer sponsorship (visa sponsorship is not available). - Ability to work on-site in San Francisco — this role is not remote. - Strong proficiency in Python and C++. - Hands-on experience with robotics hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems. - Practical experience with deep learning, reinforcement learning, and computer vision. - Experience with real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflows. - Experience with embodied AI, RL for robotics, or vision-language-action models. Nice to Have: - Familiarity with simulation platforms such as Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, MJX, Genesis, Gazebo, or PyBullet. - Experience with CAD tools or Blender for asset creation. - Exposure to modern ML methods: LLMs, Transformers, multimodal AI, diffusion models, or AI agents. - Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with robotics companies and external research labs. Mindset: You're comfortable moving fluidly between research, engineering, experimentation, and product development in a small, fast-moving team. You want to ship, not just publish. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Salary: $100,000 – $300,000 USD annually, depending on experience and seniority. - Early-stage equity opportunity at a seed-stage company backed by a top accelerator. LOCATION - On-site in San Francisco, CA, USA. Remote work is not available for this role. - Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be authorized to work in the US.