Phd Robotics Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk‑aware, reliable, field‑ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data‑driven approaches or pure transformer‑only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

The Robotics Engineer, Humanoid System Integration will own the integration of humanoid software and hardware subsystems into a cohesive robot stack that is testable, debuggable, and deployment‑ready. This role is responsible for bringing together perception, localization, planning, locomotion, manipulation, controls, sensors, compute, networking, diagnostics, and release workflows.

• Integrate humanoid subsystems into a reliable full‑stack robot system running on physical hardware.
• Define and maintain interfaces across autonomy, manipulation, locomotion, sensors, compute, controls, and field tools.
• Own robot bring‑up, calibration, configuration, diagnostics, and validation workflows.
• Debug system‑level issues across software, hardware, networking, timing, compute constraints, sensor data, and robot behavior.
• Develop integration tests, regression tests, telemetry tools, dashboards, and release‑readiness checks.
• Partner with manipulation, hardware, QA/QC, field application, and service teams to keep humanoid platforms continuously shippable.
• Harden research or prototype capabilities into maintainable, testable, deployment‑ready modules.

• MS or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field preferred; BS considered with a demonstrated track record of hands‑on robotics work across multiple physical systems — research projects, competition robotics, or internships with daily hardware exposure.
• Background appropriate for a junior‑to‑mid engineer; fresh MS and PhD graduates welcome.
• Strong hands‑on experience integrating robotic systems on real hardware — must include physical hardware; simulation‑only backgrounds will not be considered.
• Strong C++ and Python skills in Linux‑based robotics environments.
• Experience with ROS/ROS2, robot middleware, drivers, calibration, diagnostics, logging, and distributed systems.
• Understanding of perception, planning, controls, locomotion, manipulation, sensor integration, and embedded compute constraints.
• Ability to profile performance, isolate failures, define interfaces, and coordinate across multiple technical teams.

• You’ve integrated a humanoid or legged/mobile manipulation platform from bring‑up through field deployment — not just research or simulation.
• You’ve owned the interfaces between locomotion, manipulation, and perception, and debugged failures across those seams on real hardware.
• You’ve built the tooling that made other engineers faster: calibration pipelines, regression harnesses, telemetry dashboards, or release gates that prevented bad deploys.
• You carry hard‑won instincts about what separates a demo‑ready system from a deployment‑ready one — and you’ve acted on that distinction.

Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.

In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real‑world use.

You will collaborate with a world‑class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.

We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.

Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field‑ready autonomy looks like.

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.