Senior Applied Scientist - Manipulation RL, Amazon Robotics - Vulcan Stow

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Applied Scientist to guide a small team advancing reinforcement learning for manipulation within Amazon Robotics. Our organization builds robots that perform contact-rich manipulation safely and reliably in complex, unstructured environments at Amazon scale. We push the boundaries of robotic manipulation, handling enormous object diversity with deep expertise in planning, control, perception, and machine learning. You will set the technical direction for learning behaviors—such as pushing, flipping, rearranging, and dexterous insertion—with unparalleled robustness, speed, and reliability. The goal is to deploy robots across Amazon's global network capable of handling the full diversity of items Amazon sells. This role involves demonstrating new manipulation capabilities on real hardware at scale and mentoring scientists as the team grows.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for learning non-prehensile and contact-rich manipulation policies, from testing advances in the field to demonstrating capability on hardware.
• Oversee the development of reinforcement learning approaches that address the long tail of diverse, demanding manipulation conditions.
• Own the path from simulation training to reliable, real-time execution on physical robots, making evidence-based decisions on where learned approaches should replace engineered ones.
• Demonstrate new manipulation capabilities on real robots at scale and turn one-off results into repeatable methods.
• Establish standards, evaluation practices, and data-informed improvement loops for the team.
• Mentor scientists and engineers, raising the bar for applied science rigor and engineering quality.
• Partner across control, perception, and hardware teams to integrate learned behaviors into working systems.
• Represent Amazon in academia through publications and scientific presentations.

Benefits

Amazon offers a full range of benefits that support you and eligible family members, including domestic partners. Benefits may vary by location, hours worked, length of employment, and job status. The following generally apply to regular, full-time employees:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Maternity and Parental Leave Options
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401(k) Plan