Research Scientist Intern, Dexterous Manipulation and Contact-Rich Control (PhD)

Agios is a full stack research organization within Reality Labs Research, spanning materials and manufacturing, sensors and actuators, simulation, and learned control. Our mission is to build systems that enhance human capabilities through intelligent machine collaboration. Today that work centers on what we call the last bottleneck: AI has compressed the digital side of research and development, while the physical side still moves at human speed. Dexterous Manipulation is the pillar attacking that problem directly, pairing a custom dexterous robotic hand with in-house wearable sensing, high accuracy simulation, and glove-driven teleoperation.As a Research Scientist Intern, you will work on fast, stable, learned feedback control for multi-fingered robotic hands. Your focus will be reinforcement learning in high-fidelity simulation, tactile and proprioceptive feedback, and transfer to real robot hands, with mentors who span hardware, simulation, controls, and policy learning.Our internships are sixteen (12) to twenty-four (24) weeks long and we have various start dates throughout the year. Research Scientist Intern, Dexterous Manipulation and Contact-Rich Control (PhD) Responsibilities: Drive an independent research thread on learned reactive control for dexterous hands, from problem formulation through simulation studies and real-robot evaluation.Design controlled experiments and benchmarks that isolate issues with manipulation dexterity.Integrate proprioceptive signals into control policies, and close the sim-to-real gap for contact through system identification, domain randomization, and realistic models of upstream policy error.Collaborate across an interdisciplinary team of hardware, simulation, controls, and policy researchers, and communicate research plans, progress, and results. Minimum Qualifications: Research experience in reinforcement learning or learning-based control for robotic manipulation or locomotion, demonstrated through publications, open-source code, or substantial projectsExperience with Python, and with a physics simulator such as MuJoCo, Isaac, or DrakeMust obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment Preferred Qualifications: Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, as well as first-authored publications at leading workshops or conferences such as RSS, CoRL, ICRA, IROS, T-RO, IJRR, NeurIPS, ICML, or ICLRExperience with sim-to-real transfer of contact-rich, locomotion, or dexterous manipulation policies, including domain randomization, system identification, and teacher–student distillationExperience using tactile sensing, force/torque sensing, or contact estimation in policy learning or controlExperience in retargeting for locomotion or manipulationGrounding in manipulation mechanics and control, such as contact modeling, impedance and admittance control, and trajectory optimizationHands-on experience with multi-fingered robotic hands or grippers on real hardwareExperience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environmentAvailability for minimum 16 consecutive week internship About Meta: Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics. Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment. Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com. $7,650/month to $12,667/month + benefits Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.