Applied Researcher, Dexterous Manipulation
Vancouver, BC
AI/Machine Learning – AI/Automation /
Full-Time /
On-site
Your New Role and Team
Sanctuary AI–a multi award-winning LinkedIn Top Startup company–is seeking an exceptional Applied Researcher, Dexterous Manipulation to join our team in engineering and innovating unique robotic manipulation tasks.
As an Applied Researcher, you'll be responsible for selecting the most promising state of the art (SOTA) approaches, designing training and data-collection pipelines, supervising the process of testing these algorithms in simulation, and deploying them to our robots in real-world settings. With access to in-house robots with dexterous hands, you'll also have a unique opportunity for impactful work with new haptic and proprioceptive sensing modalities.
Success Criteria
- Design, implement, and improve state of the art Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Imitation Learning (IL) algorithms and test them in real-world settings
- Keep up to date with SOTA RL/IL methodologies and robotics
- Identify, communicate, and drive promising research directions to the team
- Find ways of improving existing implementations of RL/IL learning pipelines with regards to standard metrics such as sample efficiency, speed, computational resource usage, and scalability
- Design RL/IL training and data-collection pipelines to facilitate fast deployment on physical robots
- Work with a multidisciplinary team to develop novel algorithms and investigate sources of errors with existing implementations
- PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Applied Math, or equivalent work experience in ML
- 3+ years' experience implementing and deploying (dexterous) robotic manipulation tasks in simulation and on physical robots
- Proven expertise in sim-to-real transfer
- Experience taking ML R&D and trained models into production
- Hands-on experience integrating ML models onto a robotics platform
- Experience with computer vision systems
- Publications in leading AI conferences such as ICRA, IROS and CORL
- Extensive knowledge of Reinforcement Learning and Imitation Learning principles and use
- Development with Python 3.8 or later
- Working knowledge of PyTorch and/or TensorFlow
- Familiarity with ROS2
- Experience with Atlassian tools; Jira, Confluence, or equivalent i.e. GitLab
- Above all else, a consistently positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever it takes to create robust solutions to complex problems
- Strong leadership skills in organizing R&D work for ML projects
- Eager to take on new challenges with tenacity and positivity
- Patience, persistence, and attention to detail when resolving performance issues
- Enthusiasm for bringing human-like intelligence to machines
- Ability to drive development of new functionalities from concept to production
- Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast paced environment
Your Experience
Qualifications
Skills
Traits
Working at Sanctuary AI
Sanctuary AI is an equal opportunity employer; employment with Sanctuary AI is governed based on skills, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any way by race, color, religion, 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. In 2023, Sanctuary AI moved into a state-of-the-art office facility and has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Startup company.
Compensation and Benefits
Sanctuary offers a market-leading compensation package that includes competitive salaries, equity stakes, and a full suite of benefits for permanent employees, encompassing health coverage, paid time off, cutting-edge work facilities, and worksite flexibility by role. Our commitment to fairness ensures that our total compensation consistently surpasses market standards.
About Sanctuary AI
Founded in 2018 by Geordie Rose, Olivia Norton, and Ajay Agrawal, Sanctuary AI is a Vancouver, Canada-based company. Sanctuary AI is on a mission to create the world’s first human-like intelligence in general-purpose robots that will help us work more safely, efficiently, and sustainably. And in the not-too-distant future, help us explore, settle, and prosper in outer space.
Members of the Sanctuary AI team founded D-Wave (a pioneer in the quantum computing industry), Kindred (first use of reinforcement learning in a production robot), and the Creative Destruction Lab (pioneered a revolutionary method for the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind). The team has experience launching market-defining innovations rooted in previously unsolved and deep scientific problems.
Recruiting & Employment Agency Notice:
Recruitment and hiring is conducted internally by Sanctuary AI. We are not seeking or soliciting any new agency partnerships or agreements at this time. Any employment agency or professional recruiter (“Agency”) that provides an unsolicited resume(s) or otherwise presents a prospective job candidate through the Sanctuary AI career site or directly to any Sanctuary AI employee, irrevocably grants to Sanctuary AI the unrestricted right to engage, hire, or contract with that candidate at Sanctuary AI's sole discretion without any compensation to the Agency. We appreciate your interest in working together, and should the need arise our Talent Acquisition team will contact any external firms directly.
