Research Engineer, Reinforcement Learning

Targeted start date: Immediately. Relocation provided.

Research Engineers in reinforcement learning are generalists who develop reinforcement learning algorithms for humanoid locomotion and manipulation policies. A typical day involves prototyping reinforcement learning algorithms or building distributed infrastructure for training and simulation. You will own the RL policies and train in both sim and real to bring capabilities to NEO. You will integrate and distill RL policies and data into foundation model training. You will work closely with other AI team members and also develop independently.

1X's mission is to create an abundant supply of physical labor through safe, intelligent androids that work alongside humans. Since 2014, we’ve designed our products with large-scale manufacturing in mind, so we can produce androids at a high enough volume to meet the world’s labor demand.

Our wheeled Android EVE is engineered to work with you, from guarding to logistics, and our bipedal model, NEO, is designed to become a household android with broad deployment in various applications. Our products will understand both natural language and physical space, so they can complete useful tasks in any environment.

We’ve established our dual HQ in San Francisco and Norway. Our positions require in-person presence to ensure effective execution and seamless collaboration in our hardware-focused environment. We value passion for our work and encourage candidates who share our dedication to join our team.

Why this job is exciting

Your role on the team will be to build RL algorithms in simulation and real and integrate RL into the overall learning picture. You will work across the AI stack and solve gaps in model training and inference. We aim to (1) double the number of tasks the robot can perform and (2) half the error rate on existing tasks, quarter over quarter. The team works closely together to prioritize direction and scale up a single approach to a production-ready system.

Responsibilities

1. Build RL algorithms to bring generalized capabilities to NEO.
2. Work with our robot operations team to scale up our datasets and model capabilities.

REQUIREMENTS

Must-Haves

1. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent.
2. 3+ years of professional, full-time experience on robot learning.
3. Experience with physical simulators (Pybullet, IssacSim, Mujoco, etc.) and training RL policies in simulation.
4. Ability to rapidly prototype ideas in code in an independent manner.
5. Published research in top ML conferences (NeurIPS, CoRL, RSS, ICML, etc.).

Nice-to-Haves

1. Experience with GPU simulation.
2. Have built large programming projects on your own for fun (e.g. open source projects).
3. Training large-scale ML models such as visual foundation models, large language models, pixel-level generative models.
4. Have implemented highly performant software.

Compensation

We offer a total compensation package including base salary from US$105,000 to US$250,000 annually, with generous stock options and other benefits.

Introduction Stage - we have initial conversations to get to know you better.

• (30m) Recruiter Screen with Win Yu.
• (45m) Hiring Manager Screen with the AI team.

Team Interview Stage - we then dive into your experience in more depth and introduce you to members of the team. This is also the stage where you will do your take-home challenge.

• (90m) Technical Deep-Dive conversation with the AI team.

Final Interview Stage - we move you to our final round.

• (15m) Role expectation management with Eric Jang.
• (30m) Conversation with CEO Bernt Øivind Børnich.

Location

This position is based in Sunnyvale, California, USA, at our newly renovated AI headquarters. We offer visa sponsorship for exceptional candidates. Joining our team means becoming a valued member of one of the biggest brands in humanoid robotics, where you'll play a part in shaping the future of general-purpose androids.

A value driven team
These are the ideas that express our team’s culture and how we work:
Be Nice - Collaboration is our driving force. Our team creates an open, trusting environment where everyone can be their most creative.
Stay Smart - A world-changing team needs the brightest minds in every discipline. This is where people come to work, learn, and grow to their full potential.
Make History - Everything we do gets us closer to one ambitious vision: general-purpose androids helping people around the globe. We believe what we build today will impact generations.

1X is an inclusive and equal-opportunity employer that values diversity. We consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected class. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please don't hesitate to let us know during the interview process. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.