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Autonomy Perception Phd Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior Autonomy Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

... research experience building autonomy, perception, or ML systems * Strong fluency in Python and C++ in a Linux environment. * Demonstrated track record of taking research ideas and papers into ...

Senior Autonomy Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

... research experience building autonomy, perception, or ML systems * Strong fluency in Python and C++ in a Linux environment. * Demonstrated track record of taking research ideas and papers into ...

Work across autonomy, perception, sensors, flight controls, and vehicle dynamics to solve system ... Take cutting-edge robotics research and turn it into reliable product capability on compute ...

Senior Autonomy Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

... research experience building autonomy, perception, or ML systems * Strong fluency in Python and C++ in a Linux environment. * Demonstrated track record of taking research ideas and papers into ...

Work across autonomy, perception, sensors, flight controls, and vehicle dynamics to solve system ... Take cutting-edge robotics research and turn it into reliable product capability on compute ...

$150K - $300K/yr

PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Neuroscience, Physics, or a related quantitative ... Ability to thrive in a lean, fast-paced environment where you have high autonomy and a direct ...

Autonomy Systems Architect

Concord, CA · On-site

$203K - $309K/yr

Company Overview Joby Flight Research designs, develops, and flight-tests novel aircraft using a software-first autonomy approach. We build and deploy autonomy, perception, planning, and radar ...

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Autonomy Perception Phd Research information

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$106K

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How much do autonomy perception phd research jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for autonomy perception phd research in the United States is $106,012.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $104,000.00 and $104,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an autonomy perception PhD researcher?

An Autonomy Perception PhD Researcher is a doctoral-level researcher who specializes in studying how autonomous systems, such as self-driving cars or robots, perceive and interpret their surroundings. Their work often involves developing algorithms and models that enable machines to process sensor data and make real-time decisions based on their environment. This research is crucial for improving the safety, reliability, and efficiency of autonomous technologies. Typically, these researchers work in academia, industry research labs, or technology companies focusing on robotics, artificial intelligence, or autonomous vehicles.

What are the typical collaboration opportunities for someone in an autonomy perception PhD research role?

Professionals in Autonomy Perception PhD Research roles often collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, including robotics engineers, software developers, and data scientists. These collaborations are essential for integrating perception algorithms into autonomous systems, validating research findings, and sharing expertise to solve complex, real-world problems. Regular meetings, joint experiments, and co-authorship of research papers are common, offering valuable opportunities to expand your professional network and gain cross-functional insights. This collaborative environment fosters both personal growth and the advancement of cutting-edge technology.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an autonomy perception PhD researcher, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Autonomy Perception PhD Researcher, you need advanced knowledge in robotics, computer vision, machine learning, and a PhD in a related field. Familiarity with technical tools such as ROS (Robot Operating System), Python, C++, and relevant simulation environments or deep learning frameworks is typically required. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly are essential soft skills for this role. These competencies enable researchers to drive innovation, publish impactful findings, and develop cutting-edge perception systems for autonomous technologies.

What is the difference between Autonomy Perception Phd Research vs Autonomy Perception Engineer?

AspectAutonomy Perception Phd ResearchAutonomy Perception Engineer
Required CredentialsPhD in relevant field, research experienceBachelor's or Master's in engineering or related field, some research experience
Work EnvironmentAcademic or research institutions, labsIndustry, R&D departments, technology companies
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, research centers, government agenciesTech companies, automotive, robotics firms
Common Search & ComparisonResearch focus, academic rolesPractical application, product development

Autonomy Perception Phd Research roles primarily involve academic research, theoretical analysis, and advancing knowledge in perception autonomy. In contrast, Autonomy Perception Engineers focus on applying perception algorithms to real-world autonomous systems, emphasizing practical implementation and product development.

What are popular job titles related to Autonomy Perception Phd Research jobs?

For Autonomy Perception Phd Research jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Senior Autonomy Engineer

San Diego, CA • On-site

$110K - $152K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 9 days ago


Job description

Brain Corp is a San Diego, California, USA-based AI company creating transformative core technology for the robotics industry. Our purpose is to create autonomous technology that helps the real world work better. Brain's robotic and AI solutions help retailers ensure that the right product is on the right shelf at the right price, in a clean environment. Through the BrainOS® Robotics Platform, which powers the largest global fleet of the Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) in operation in commercial public spaces, Brain Corp delivers insightful and efficient automated solutions in both commercial floor cleaning and inventory management, empowering organizations and their employees to achieve more. Brain Corp currently powers more than 30,000 AMRs, representing the largest fleet of its kind in the world. Brain Corp is funded by the SoftBank Vision Fund, Clearbridge, and Qualcomm Ventures.
Named a top workplace by the San Diego Union Tribune and USA today in 2025, we make life-changing impacts through innovation, helping workers globally unlock their abilities in orchestration with intelligent machines.
Position Overview:
As a Senior Autonomy Engineer on our R&D team, you'll help define the next generation of software that lets robots perceive, learn, and act in unstructured indoor environments. You'll work across the modern autonomy stack - from learned perception and prediction to mapping and motion planning - and ship capabilities that generalize across our fleet. We're looking for someone equally comfortable reading a fresh arXiv paper, writing production C++/Python, and debugging behavior on a real robot in the lab. You'll help set technical direction, raise the bar on engineering quality, and mentor others on the team.
Essential Job Functions:
  • Design, train, and deploy machine learning systems for perception, SLAM, prediction, and motion planning that enable safe navigation around people and obstacles.
  • Build and improve learned components - including transformer-based perception, vision-language models for scene understanding, diffusion or imitation-learning policies, and neural/Gaussian-splatting approaches to mapping - and integrate them with classical estimation and planning where it makes sense.
  • Translate state-of-the-art research (papers, open-source releases, conference talks) into production-quality implementations on the robot.
  • Develop data engines and evaluation infrastructure that turn fleet logs into training data, regression tests, and shipped improvements.
  • Own features end-to-end: from prototype, through sim and on-robot validation, to fleet rollout, with measurement of real-world impact.
  • Improve runtime performance of perception, mapping, and planning on embedded GPU/accelerator hardware (quantization, distillation, kernel work where warranted).
  • Contribute to internal frameworks, simulation tooling, and developer experience that compound team velocity.
  • Provide guidance and mentorship to engineers across robotics, ML, and the software systems that support them.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:
  • Master's Degree. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field - or equivalent demonstrated experience.
  • 5+ years of relevant industry or research experience building autonomy, perception, or ML systems
  • Strong fluency in Python and C++ in a Linux environment.
  • Demonstrated track record of taking research ideas and papers into deployed implementations.
  • Depth in one or more of: machine learning (supervised, self-supervised, imitation, RL), SLAM and state estimation, motion planning, or 3D perception.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics:
  • Hands-on experience with PyTorch (and/or JAX), modern training pipelines, and contemporary architectures (transformers, diffusion models, vision-language-action models).
  • Experience designing robotic systems with ROS 2 (or comparable middleware) and contemporary simulation tools such as Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, or Gazebo.
  • Comfort with the full ML lifecycle: data curation and labeling strategy, large-scale training, offline and online evaluation, and continuous deployment to production hardware.
  • Solid systems and software architecture instincts; pragmatism about when a learned approach beats a classical one and vice versa.
  • Familiarity with modern engineering practices: CI/CD, code review, observability, and iterative delivery (i.e. Agile, Scrum).
  • Bonus: Contributions to open-source robotics or ML projects, publications at top venues (CoRL, RSS, ICRA, NeurIPS, CVPR, ICML), or experience with on-device acceleration (TensorRT, ONNX, custom CUDA kernels).

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Essential functions may require maintaining the physical condition necessary for sitting, walking or standing for periods of time; operating a computer and keyboard; talk and hear at normal room levels; using hands to finger, grasp, and feel; repetitive motion; close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; lift, push, carry, or pull up to 20 pounds.
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate. Employees are exposed to the typical office environment with computers, printers and telephones.
Salary Range:
The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in San Diego, California is $179,505 to $224,381. The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and length of experience within the job, type and length of experience within the industry, education, etc. Brain Corp is a multi-state employer and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other states.
In addition to base pay, our competitive total rewards package consists of:
  • A discretionary annual target bonus
  • Stock options
  • 401(k) plan with match (no waiting period and immediate vesting)
  • Comprehensive suite of insurance benefits for employees (and their families) to include a variety of medical plan options (including an HSA with employer contribution), dental, vision, life and disability insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Legal/Identity support plans, pet insurance.
  • Access to Flexible Spending Accounts (Medical and Dependent Care)
  • Generous paid time off including flexible vacation, Paid Sick Leave, time off for volunteering in the community, 10 paid company holidays, and a winter company shutdown

Additional Perks include:
  • Daily on-site lunch available in the San Diego office
  • On-campus gym including pool and tennis courts in the San Diego office
  • Opportunities to connect with colleagues including monthly game nights, hikes, wellness challenges, and community events
  • Internal continuous learning events
  • Opportunities to share your own interests and hobbies with the Company