Research Scientist, Generalist Embodied Agent Research - PhD New College Grad 2026

Details

NVIDIA is searching for an outstanding research scientist to build humanoid robot foundation models and systems in the Generalist Embodied Agent Research (GEAR) group. The mission is to build general-purpose embodied agents that learn to explore and master complex skills across virtual and physical worlds.

You will work with a collaborative research team producing influential work on multimodal foundation models, large-scale robot learning, game AI, and physical simulation. Previous projects include Eureka, VIMA, Voyager, MineDojo, MimicPlay, Prismer, and Project GR00T, a foundation model for humanoid robots. Your contributions will impact research projects and product roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement novel AI algorithms and models for general-purpose humanoid robots and embodied agents.
• Develop large-scale AI training and inference methods for foundation models.
• Optimize and deploy AI models in physical simulation and on robot hardware.
• Collaborate with research and engineering teams across NVIDIA to transfer research to products and services.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent research experience.
• Outstanding engineering skills in rapid prototyping and model training frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX, and TensorFlow.
• Python or C++ required; CUDA or ROS proficiencies are a plus.
• Excellent knowledge of and hands-on experience training LLMs, multimodal foundation models, or large generative models.
• Experience with foundation and diffusion models, reinforcement learning, agent learning, and applied robotics.

Multimodal Foundation Models

• Hands-on training experience and publications in at least one of the following areas: LLMs, large vision-language models, video generative models and diffusion algorithms, or action-based transformers.
• Excellent skills working with large-scale machine learning and AI systems and compute infrastructure.

Robotics

• Hands-on training experience and publications in robot learning, including reinforcement learning, imitation learning, or classical control methods.
• Deep understanding of robot kinematics, dynamics, and sensors.
• Ability to safely operate robot hardware, lab equipment, and tools.
• Knowledge of control methods, including PID, model predictive control, and whole-body control.
• Familiarity with physics simulation frameworks such as MuJoCo and Isaac Sim.
• Robot hardware design and hands-on building experience.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary is determined based on location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is $168,000–$264,500 for Level 3 and $192,000–$304,750 for Level 4. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications will be accepted at least until January 13, 2026. This posting is for an existing vacancy. NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes. NVIDIA is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse work environment.