Senior Robotics Research Scientist

Details

We are now looking for a Senior Robotics Research Scientist to join the Seattle Robotics Lab at NVIDIA. The lab focuses on fundamental and applied robotics research across the full robotics stack, including perception, planning, control, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and simulation. The team aims to transform research paradigms, transfer into NVIDIA’s robotics and simulation products (Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab, Isaac Manipulator), and create new robotics markets.

The Seattle Robotics Lab has produced influential research (e.g., BayesSim, cuRobo, DeXtreme, DiSECT, Factory, GraspNet, ITPS, MimicGen, RVT, SHAC) and collaborates closely with product and engineering teams as well as with foundation-model initiatives such as Cosmos and GR00T-N and the Newton physics simulation engine.

Responsibilities

• Develop algorithms, models, and methods for robotic manipulation and loco-manipulation for industrial and household applications.
• Integrate methods into real-world robotic systems (collaborative and industrial robot arms, mobile manipulators, humanoids, dexterous hands).
• Co-lead and contribute to multi-person research projects spanning robotics and machine learning.
• Engage with the academic community through publications, conferences, workshops, and code releases.
• Collaborate with product managers and engineering teams to transfer research into NVIDIA products.
• Mentor interns and more junior research scientists and engineers.

Requirements

• A PhD in Robotics, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience). At least 3 years of research experience post-PhD; 5+ years preferred.
• Deep knowledge of both the theory and practice of robotics and AI, with an interest in real-world robotics applications.
• Proven research track record with publications in top robotics and AI conferences and journals (e.g., RSS, CoRL, ICRA, IROS, IJRR, T-RO, NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, EMNLP).
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills; experience working as both a leader and contributor on teams.
• Exceptional programming skills in Python. Familiarity with C++, CUDA, and Warp is a plus.
• Fluency with modern deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch and JAX.
• Significant experience with robotics frameworks such as ROS2 and physics simulation frameworks such as Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab, and MuJoCo.
• Comfort working through complexities of simulation and real-world robotics, including debugging physics simulators and renderers, selecting and maintaining complex robotics hardware, debugging communication systems, and designing robust workflows for model training and evaluation.

Ways to stand out

• Prior experience transferring research into products with product managers and engineering teams.
• A history of mentoring junior researchers, engineers, or interns.
• Experience in one or more high-interest research areas: bimanual and dexterous manipulation; mobile manipulation and humanoid loco-manipulation; multisensory perception (vision, tactile, force/torque); simulation, sim-to-real, real-to-sim; vision-language-action models; industrial applications (bin-picking, kitting, assembly).

Location, Salary, and Other Details

• Location: Seattle, WA (Seattle Robotics Lab, near University of Washington; moving to Fremont neighborhood in 2026).
• Base salary ranges: Level 4 — 184,000 USD to 299,000 USD; Level 5 — 224,000 USD to 356,500 USD. Actual base salary will be determined based on location, experience, and pay of employees in similar positions.
• You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
• Applications for this job will be accepted at least until July 29, 2025.

Diversity & Equal Opportunity

NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse work environment and is an equal opportunity employer. NVIDIA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.