Senior AI Researcher

Scout AI

$200K — $400K *
US-AnywhereRemote in Sunnyvale, CA
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Machine Learning, or related field plus 4+ years applied research experience (or 8+ years equivalent industry experience without a PhD)
  • Strong publication record in leading research venues
  • Deep expertise in areas like reinforcement learning, imitation learning, or vision-language models
  • Hands-on experience with models for embodied agents or autonomous systems
  • Proficiency in Python and frameworks like PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX
  • Experience with large-scale datasets and high-dimensional sensor inputs
  • Demonstrated ability to transition research concepts to deployed prototypes

Responsibilities

  • Conduct original research in embodied AI, focusing on reinforcement learning and world modeling
  • Build, test, and benchmark models for decision-making and control in various environments
  • Investigate transfer and continual learning across robotic domains
  • Collaborate with engineering and field teams to integrate research into systems
  • Lead research strategy and roadmap for autonomy and machine learning
  • Support field tests and data collection for performance evaluation

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation package including base salary and bonus
  • Meaningful equity stake in the company
  • Premium medical, dental, and vision plans with no paycheck contribution
  • Generous PTO and company holiday schedule
  • Unlimited AI tokens
  • Daily catered lunches and fully stocked kitchen
  • EV charging stations available
  • Relocation assistance based on role eligibility
Full Job Description
The RoleWe're hiring a Staff or Senior AI Researcher on the Fury Team to help push the frontiers of embodied intelligence for autonomous defense systems. You will lead research in core areas including reinforcement learning, vision-language-action modeling, sim-to-real transfer, dynamic AI memory, and multi-agent coordination. Your work will be foundational to the development, training, and deployment of Fury.

This role sits at the intersection of cutting-edge ML research, real-world robotics, and defense. You'll translate foundational research into scalable, robust models that operate in unstructured, contested environments, from concept to deployment. We're a startup. You'll be moving fast, context-switching daily, and helping define the culture and process as we go. This is a rare opportunity to come in early and architect the future of defense.

Responsibilities
  • Conduct original research in embodied AI, including learning from warfighter demonstration, reinforcement learning, memory, reward, vision-language modeling, and world modeling
  • Build, test, and benchmark large-scale models for perception, decision-making, and control in simulated and physical environments
  • Investigate transfer learning and continual learning paradigms across diverse robotic domains
  • Collaborate with engineering, robotics, and field teams to integrate research into operational systems
  • Lead research strategy and roadmap across key areas of autonomy and machine learning
  • Support field tests and data collection campaigns to evaluate system performance in realistic environments

Qualifications
  • PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Machine Learning, or a related field plus 4+ years of applied research experience (industry, postdoc, or lab), or 8+ years of equivalent industry research experience without a PhD
  • Strong publication record in top-tier venues
  • Deep expertise in one or more of the following: reinforcement learning, imitation learning, vision-language models, sim-to-real, world modeling, or agentic AI
  • Hands-on experience building and evaluating models for embodied agents or autonomous systems
  • Proficiency in Python and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX
  • Experience working with large-scale datasets and high-dimensional sensor inputs
  • Demonstrated ability to take ideas from research concept to deployed prototype
  • Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities

Benefits
  • Competitive compensation package including base salary and bonus
  • Meaningful equity
  • Premium medical, dental, and vision plans with $0 paycheck contribution
  • Competitive PTO and company holiday calendar
  • Unlimited AI tokens
  • Catered lunch daily and fully stocked kitchen
  • EV charging
  • Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility)


The stated salary range below represents an estimated base pay only and reflects consideration of multiple compensation factors. Final salary offers may differ depending on factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience or training background, specialized skills, and business needs. Most full-time positions also include highly competitive equity awards, which form part of Scout AI's overall compensation package. In addition, Scout AI provides comprehensive, top-tier benefits to full-time employees.

US Salary Range

$200,000-$400,000 USD

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