Research Scientist

About Willow Garage

Willow Garage intends to revolutionize robotic mobile manipulation and to jump start a broad scale industry in that area. We are working towards this goal through fostering robust open hardware and software platforms; doing research internally and in close cooperation with top research groups across the globe to systematically remove the key bottlenecks to robotic capability; and enabling or spinning off companies in different application areas. We are well funded and able to do this with staying power.

We have assembled a team of international leaders in a wide range of robot fields from machine perception, machine learning, planning, control, grasping, human-robotic interaction and on to mechanical and electrical engineering. We have a great work environment with large and fluid collaborations across areas of expertise. We're open, we publish, run workshops, attend conferences and collaborate widely with top researchers around the world. We have soccer games and free lunches, and company outings from ski trips to zero-g flights.

Primary Function

We are looking for Research Scientists, either experienced with an internationally recognized track record, or exceptional up-and-coming researchers, in fields applicable to mobile perception and manipulation. You are expected to be, or are rising to be, a leader in your field, generating and publishing key ideas and software, and having an exceptional impact. Our goal is to solve the key problems that are preventing wide adoption of autonomous mobile robots in society.

You are someone who gets things done to advance mobile robotics. We expect you to actively influence and advance the field of mobile manipulation and perception in one or more of the areas below. You should know the other leading people in your field and work together with them to establish collaborations, design contests, and hold workshops. You should be a capable programmer who can collaborate with research engineers to make your ideas real. We hope you can span areas to get things done.

We want to see robots really doing things, both fun and serious ... in the near future. Help us make it happen.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Identify and conduct research on important, interesting, and useful research questions in the area of personal robotics.
  • Publish the results of your research in high-quality scholarly venues.
  • Influence the direction of your field via research contacts, collaborations, workshops, competitions, key ideas, and development of Open Source software.
  • Develop new algorithms to solve key problems in robot perception and control.
  • Lead small groups of research engineers in Open Source implementation of algorithms.
  • Remain aware of the state of the art in your field and bring new ideas and technologies to Willow Garage.
  • Collaborate with researchers in other areas at Willow Garage to design and build functional, capable robots.

Skills / Job Requirements

  • PhD or equivalent with concentration in relevant area.
  • Track record in designing, conducting, and publishing research in top venues.
  • Acknowledged accomplishments and influence in the field.
  • Ability to turn your ideas into working code. Ability to optimize code for performance is a big plus.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills. You are expected to maintain contacts with the key people in your field and be able to influence the direction your field is taking in order to better solve problems that you identify as bottlenecks. For example by:
    • Setting new research directions,
    • Holding workshops and competitions in areas you feel are necessary but neglected,
    • Joining or creating committees that set standards etc.
  • Extensive knowledge and use of key research methods; awareness of other research methods and openness to learning and using other methods.

Nice to have's

  • Experience working with complex hardware systems.
  • Hardware design experience.
  • Expertise or experience with sensor design.
  • Industrial coding experience.
  • Prior involvement in Open Source.
  • Extensive knowledge of Linux/Ubuntu.
  • Expertise in more than one field of robotics.

Application Materials

* Cover letter, including statement of proposed project(s)
* Resume/CV
* Downloadable code sample(s)
* Two references and/or two letters of recommendation
* A recent publication or statement of past experiences

To Apply

Send your Application Materials and links to any projects you'd like us to take a look at to jobs@willowgarage.com

Willow Garage is an equal opportunity employer