Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.
As an Research Scientist Intern, Embodied AI, you will investigate and tackle real-world robotics challenges in unstructured environments, with a focus on autonomous inspection, mobile manipulation, and human–robot interaction.
You will work at the intersection of research and deployment—developing algorithms, validating them on real robots, and contributing to publications at top robotics and AI venues.
What You'll Do:
- Model & Algorithm Development: Design and develop context-aware reasoning and planning algorithms. Leverage and adapt foundation models (e.g., VLMs, VLAs) and world models for embodied intelligence.
- Robotic Software Development & Testing: Implement, test, and integrate algorithms on real robotic platforms. Collaborate closely with engineers to validate performance in field conditions.
- Research & Publication: Conduct cutting-edge research in embodied AI and robotics. Author and submit papers to leading robotics and AI conferences and journals.
What You Bring:
- Currently pursuing or recently completed a PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
- Strong foundation in robotics autonomy and machine learning
- Familiarity with state-of-the-art embodied AI research literature
- Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++
- Experience with modern machine learning frameworks
- Experience developing robotic systems using ROS 2
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
What Will Set You Apart:
- Hands-on robotics experience, including testing and deploying autonomous systems in the field
- Experience fine-tuning and deploying large multimodal models, particularly: Vision, language, action, or open-vocabulary models.
- Publications in top-tier AI and robotics venues such as CoRL, ICRA, IROS, RSS, NeurIPS, CVPR, or similar
Our salary range is generous and we take into consideration an individual's background and experience in determining final salary; base pay offered may vary considerably depending on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Why Join Field AI?
We are solving one of the world’s most complex challenges: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models™ set a new standard in perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, ensuring our approach is explainable and safe for deployment.
You will have the opportunity to work with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. With
a decade-long track record of deploying solutions in the field, winning DARPA challenge segments, and bringing expertise from organizations like DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise Self-Driving, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, we are set to achieve our ambitious goals.
Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution
To tackle such ambitious challenges, we need a team as unique as our vision — innovators who go beyond conventional methods and are eager to tackle tough, uncharted questions. We’re seeking individuals who challenge the status quo, dive into uncharted territory, and bring interdisciplinary expertise. Our team requires not only top AI talent but also exceptional software developers, engineers, product designers, field deployment experts, and communicators.
We are headquartered in always-sunny Mission Viejo (Irvine adjacent), Southern California and have US based and global teammates.
Join us, shape the future, and be part of a fun, close-knit team on an exciting journey!
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.
