Robotics Engineer (Physical AI & Simulation)
About BurnBot
BurnBot provides systematic fuels treatment services to prevent destructive wildfires. We're firefighters, scientists, engineers, prescribed fire practitioners, ecologists, and community members who are answering the call to scale fuel treatment capacity. Our modern fuel treatment system recognizes and supports conservation efforts with a clean, smoke-free process. We need technology to amplify our workforces with targeted use of synthetic fire to treat fuel loads 10x faster than previously possible.
The Role
We are seeking a motivated Robotics Engineer to join our Physical AI team. You will be at the forefront of "Embodied AI," developing intelligent systems that perceive, reason, and act in the physical world. Your primary environment will be NVIDIA Isaac Sim, where you will build the digital twins and synthetic training pipelines necessary to train and validate our next generation of autonomous agents.
This role is an exempt role with a salary range of $100,000 - $125,000. However, we do consider many factors when creating job offers, including (but not limited to), the role, location, responsibilities, experience, training, education, and skillset.
Key Responsibilities:
Simulation & Digital Twins: Develop and maintain high-fidelity, physics-accurate simulation environments in NVIDIA Isaac Sim and Omniverse using OpenUSD
Computer Vision Integration: Implement and test CV algorithms (e.g., YOLO, ViT) for object detection, depth estimation, and spatial awareness within the simulation
Physical AI Development: Assist in training Reinforcement Learning (RL) agents and foundation models for robotics using Isaac Lab/Isaac Gym
Synthetic Data Generation (SDG): Build automated pipelines to generate diverse, annotated synthetic datasets to improve the robustness of our vision and perception models
Sim-to-Real Transfer: Work closely with the hardware team to validate simulated behaviors on physical robots, identifying and closing gaps in physics and perception fidelity
Testing & Benchmarking: Design and execute automated test suites within simulation to benchmark robot performance across edge cases and "long-tail" scenarios
Minimum Qualifications:
BS or MS in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
Proficiency in Python and modern agentic programming techniques
Foundational knowledge of Computer Vision (OpenCV) and Deep Learning frameworks (PyTorch preferred)
Experience with Linux (Ubuntu) and ROS/ROS2 middleware
Demonstrated experience with NVIDIA Isaac Sim, Gazebo, or similar high-fidelity physics simulators through internships or academic projects
Preferred Skills (Bonus):
Experience with OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description) for 3D scene composition
Familiarity with NVIDIA Warp or CUDA for GPU-accelerated computing
Previous experience with synthetic data workflows and domain randomization
Exposure to Reinforcement Learning concepts and Isaac Lab workflows
Tools & Tech Stack:
Simulation: NVIDIA Isaac Sim, Omniverse, Isaac Lab
AI/ML: PyTorch, TensorRT, Synthetic Data Generation
Robotics: ROS2, URDF/MJCF, Pinocchio (Kinematics)
Infrastructure: Docker, Git, Linux
Still interested? Please apply through this posting or by visiting our Careers page at BurnBot.com.
Burnbot is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including but not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with one or more disabilities, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at (415) 795-9124 x 1010 or careers@burnbot.com.