Research Engineer / Research Scientist, Robotics and Physical AI

Clera

$100K — $300K *
Technical Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Strong software skills in C++ and Python.
  • Practical experience in deep learning, reinforcement learning, and computer vision.
  • Demonstrated hands-on robotics research and engineering experience.
  • Familiarity with real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflows; simulation platform experience is a plus.
  • Hands-on mechanical and hardware engineering experience, including sensors and embedded systems.
  • Relevant industry experience beyond academic prototypes.
  • Comfort operating as an individual contributor in a small team.

Responsibilities

  • Develop learning systems for robot policies and models.
  • Build and maintain simulation environments for robotic tasks.
  • Advance computer vision and perception algorithms for autonomous robots.
  • Create pipelines for connecting simulation and real-world deployments.
  • Prototype and test capabilities with robot hardware and sensors.
  • Train and evaluate reinforcement-learning systems for mobility and manipulation.
  • Collaborate with external robotics entities on technical challenges.

Benefits

  • On-site work environment in San Francisco, California.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a hands-on research and engineering role at an early-stage AI data company focused on robotics and physical AI. You will work across learning algorithms, simulation, and hardware to push robot capabilities from simulation into real-world deployment, shaping how robots perceive, plan, and act.
What You'll Do
  • Develop learning systems for robots, including policies, world models, and vision-language-action 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 across real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflows.
  • Work with robot hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems to prototype and test capabilities.
  • Train and evaluate reinforcement-learning and imitation-learning systems for manipulation, locomotion, or mobile platforms.
  • Integrate robot platforms to validate algorithms in the physical world.
  • Create tools and infrastructure that accelerate robotics research and development.
  • Collaborate with external robotics companies and research labs on technical challenges.
What We're Looking For
  • Strong software skills in C++ and Python.
  • Practical experience with deep learning, reinforcement learning, and computer vision.
  • Demonstrated hands-on robotics research and engineering experience beyond academic prototypes alone.
  • Real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflow experience; familiarity with simulation platforms such as Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, MJX, or Genesis is a plus.
  • Hands-on mechanical and hardware engineering experience, including sensors, actuators, CAD, and embedded systems.
  • Relevant industry experience in a company environment, not solely university research.
  • Comfort operating as an individual contributor with end-to-end ownership in a small, fast-moving team.
  • Exposure to modern multimodal AI approaches such as transformers, diffusion models, world models, LLMs, or AI agents is a bonus.
  • Background from a recognized company or strong university is preferred; genuine robotics depth is required over adjacent ML experience alone.
  • All experience levels welcome, from new graduates to seasoned researchers.
Compensation & Benefits
  • Salary: $100,000 to $300,000 annually (USD), depending on experience.
  • Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be eligible to work in the US.
Location

On-site in San Francisco, California. This role is not remote.

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