Latest AI JobsBrowse Jobs
World Labs logo

Research Engineer / Scientist (Robot Learning)

World LabsSan FranciscoResearch
Apply on company site
Salary
$250K - $350K USD
Job type
Full-time
Posted
28 Jul 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

World Labs is currently hiring a full-time Research Engineer or Scientist specializing in Robot Learning for an in-person position in San Francisco. This role suits an experienced machine learning professional looking to build advanced robotic policies and scalable training systems at a leading spatial intelligence organization.

Role Overview

This hands-on, research-driven position centers on creating and advancing state-of-the-art methodologies for robot policies. The professional in this role will build end-to-end policies, emphasizing robust performance, scalable inference pipelines, and sim-to-real transfer. Working at the intersection of machine learning and robotics, the selected candidate will partner closely with system teams, ML engineers, and research scientists to move robotic policy stacks into production-ready environments.

Key Responsibilities

Build and design modern robot learning frameworks, covering reinforcement learning and imitation learning for manipulation tasks.
Prototype, research, and productionize robotic policies focusing on scalability, speed, and precision.
Create and enhance training pipelines dedicated to sim-to-real transfer, encompassing system identification, domain randomization, and real-sim alignment.
Partner alongside infrastructure and simulation groups to narrow the sim-to-real gap and integrate learning methods with deployment stacks for real robots.
Construct comprehensive evaluation and training workflows for robot policies, scaling from massive data generation to full-scale training.
Streamline policy performance across the entire stack, including data generation efficiency, inference latency, and training speed.
Identify and troubleshoot failure modes in real-world rollouts and simulation, developing principled fixes to boost generalization and robustness.
Drive technical direction by offering new research ideas, setting best practices for robot learning, and mentoring colleagues.

Requirements

A PhD in computer science, machine learning, robotics, or a closely related academic discipline is strongly preferred.
At least 6 years of professional experience focusing on robot policy training, manipulation, locomotion, or similar domains.
Solid foundational knowledge in neural network design, robotics, and sim-to-real transfer mechanisms.
Extensive background working with robot policy designs such as diffusion, WAM, and VLA.
Strong coding proficiency in C++ and Python, backed by practical experience in building research or production robotic systems.
Familiarity with deep learning frameworks like PyTorch alongside low-level robotic controllers.
Demonstrated capability to thrive within ambiguous and fast-paced settings, driving projects successfully from initial concept to deployment.
Exceptional engineering rigor and ownership, prioritizing correctness, stability, and measurable progress.

Skills and Tools

Python
PyTorch
C++
Robot Policy Designs (VLA, WAM, diffusion)
Reinforcement and Imitation Learning
Sim-to-Real Transfer Pipelines
Deep Learning Frameworks and Low-Level Robotic Controllers

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary range for this position is $250,000 to $350,000 in USD. World Labs provides comprehensive health, vision, and dental benefits alongside a 401K plan. Additional perks include flexible paid time off, paid parental leave, relocation assistance, and visa sponsorship support.

About the Company

World Labs is a frontier artificial intelligence research and product enterprise advancing spatial intelligence, led by co-founders Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Justin Johnson, and Ben Mildenhall. The organization pioneered Marble, its flagship product that transforms video, images, and text into fully navigable three-dimensional worlds. Backed by prominent investors with over one billion dollars raised, World Labs unites a global, high-caliber team dedicated to transforming how machines understand virtual and physical environments.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official World Labs careers page to submit an application for this position.

Skills and tech stack

PythonPyTorchC++

Questions candidates ask

What is the location and work schedule for this role?

This position is based in San Francisco, California, and requires working in the office in person five days a week.

What compensation is provided for this position?

The salary ranges from $250,000 to $350,000 per year in USD.

Is visa sponsorship available?

Yes, World Labs offers visa sponsorship for qualified candidates and will work through the process together.

What qualifications are preferred regarding education and experience?

Candidates should have 6 or more years of experience in robot policy training, manipulation, or locomotion, with a PhD in robotics, computer science, machine learning, or a related field strongly preferred.

What benefits are included with employment?

Benefits include health, dental, vision, and 401K coverage, flexible paid time off, paid parental leave, and relocation support if needed.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official World Labs careers page.

Apply on company site