{"id":742055,"url":"https://alion.io/job/deftai-research-scientist","title":"Research Scientist","company":{"id":673681,"name":"Deft AI","domain":"deftai.co","url":"https://alion.io/company/deftai","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":9,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Francisco, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":150000,"max":250000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":250000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Imitation Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"PyTorch","optional":false},{"name":"Ray","optional":false},{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"TensorFlow","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-04-15T22:49:27Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-04-15","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T19:55:43Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":200,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":200},"description":"What you'll do\nDesign and develop robot autonomy software stack and algorithms to enable capabilities including grasping and more dexterous behaviors in unstructured environments\nResearch and implement state-of-the-art robot learning policies, including reinforcement learning and imitation learning-based techniques\nBuild reliable, high-speed robot autonomy software stack optimized for inference performance\nDesign and maintain robust data collection and curation pipelines for production robot fleets\nOptimize robot policies for distributed training at scale and real-time edge deployment\nShip production quality, safety-critical software\nAdvance SOTA dexterous manipulation research through novel methodologies while bridging theory & practice-real customer use-cases with clear success criteria.\nRequired Qualifications\nPhD or MS degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or equivalent technical discipline\nDeep expertise in machine learning fundamentals, reinforcement learning, and associated frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Ray, etc.)\n3+ years of proven track record developing and deploying ML systems from research through production implementation\nHands-on experience with model lifecycle management including training, deployment, and maintenance in production settings\nPreferred Qualifications\nAuthored or co-authored peer-reviewed publications in robotics or related fields\nHands-on experience designing and implementing bimanual manipulation tech stacks with imitation learning or RL-based methods\nBackground in real-time ML inference systems, simulation-to-reality transfer, or advanced reinforcement learning implementations\nBenefits\nWe support publishing at top robotics/ML venues and presenting at conferences (travel + time fully covered).\nMedical, dental & vision plans\nDaily meals stipend\nHiring Process\nPhone screen + 3 virtual technical interviews + onsite\nExpected Compensation\n$150,000 - $250,000 annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefits\nThe pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. 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