Job Number: P24F10
Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) in San Jose, California, is looking for a passionate and self-motivated research scientist to join our Robotics Division. Through the creation of avatars and autonomous intelligent entities, Honda’s robotics program is positioning robots to work alongside humans in collaborative, scalable networks aimed at extending human capabilities. Research scientist specializing in robotics systems will contribute to advancing intelligent and embodied agents by leveraging expertise in areas such as robot dynamics, manipulation, motion planning, machine learning, robot software systems and simulations. A strong emphasis is placed on application-oriented robotics, with the goal of accelerating the deployment of robust and scalable systems into real-world environments.
San Jose, CA

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Postdoctoral or industry research experience developing and deploying robotic systems using machine learning techniques such as reinforcement learning, imitation learning, or policy optimization.
• Proficiency in applying large models (LLMs/VLMs) to perception, planning, or manipulation tasks in robotics.
• Strong hands-on experience with robot kinematics, control, and motion planning for complex systems (e.g., mobile manipulators, humanoids).
• Demonstrated ability to deploy research algorithms from simulation to physical robot platforms.
• A track record of research contributions, evidenced by publications in top-tier conferences (e.g., IROS, ICRA, RSS, CoRL) and/or issued patents.
• Solid programming skills in C++ or Python and strong familiarity with ROS.
• Self-motivated to advance the project and deliver on time.
• Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional, multi-cultural teams and communicate technical concepts clearly in written and oral form.

BONUS QUALIFICATIONS

• Hands-on experience on development and successful implementation of GPT-based robot control.
• Demonstrated experience applying large vision-language models (VLMs) or multimodal AI to robotic perception, planning, or interaction tasks.
• Expertise in simulation-to-real (sim2real) transfer, especially for contact-rich or dexterous manipulation scenarios.
• Familiarity with cloud-based robotics platforms (e.g., Azure IoT, AWS RoboMaker) and scalable compute pipelines for training and deployment.
• Ability to translate research into impactful demos and communicate with technical and non-technical audiences, including executives and stakeholders.

YEARS OF WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

5 years

• Research, ideate, and develop robotics systems that incorporate large language and vision-language models (LLMs/VLMs) to enable intelligent, human-interpretable planning and execution for real-world tasks.
• Conduct applied research in machine learning, including reinforcement learning and imitation learning, with a focus on contact-rich, dexterous manipulation and human-in-the-loop interaction.
• Implement and test algorithms in simulation environments (e.g., Isaac Sim, Unreal Engine), and perform sim-to-real transfer on robotic avatar and manipulators.
• Accelerate deployment of scalable robotics solutions by designing robust systems and workflows that bridge research prototypes with production-ready implementations.
• Design, execute, and evaluate demonstrations of robotic capabilities that emphasize real-world usability, autonomy, and collaborative human-robot interaction.
• Conduct thorough data analysis to validate experimental results and iterate on model and system performance across diverse environments.
• Implementing the algorithms in simulation and verify on robot hardware.
• Deliver results in accordance with the project timelines.
• Assist with compiling written and oral reports for executives within the company and run demos.
• Contribute to the portfolio of patents, academic publications, and prototypes to demonstrate research value.
• Collaborate with our teams of scientists and engineers in Honda’s regional and global R&D offices, as well as with our partners in academia and industry.
• Mentor and supervise interns or junior team members, providing guidance on both research direction and technical implementation.