Research Engineer / Research Scientist — Robotics & Physical AI
Clera · Full-time · Posted 1w ago
Join a small, high-impact team at an early-stage, Y Combinator–backed AI research company building the data and learning systems that enable robots to perceive, reason, and act in the physical world. This is a rare opportunity to work across the full stack — from learning algorithms and simulation to real hardware — and to do research that ships into real-world deployments.
The team operates at the intersection of Physical AI, embodied intelligence, and high-quality training data, collaborating with leading robotics companies and research labs. All levels of experience are welcome, from new graduates to seasoned researchers and engineers.
Develop learning systems for robots, including policies, world models, and vision-language-action (VLA) models.
Build and maintain simulation environments and evaluation frameworks for robotic tasks.
Apply and advance computer vision and perception algorithms for autonomous robots.
Build pipelines connecting simulation and real-world robot deployment (real-to-sim and sim-to-real).
Work hands-on with robot hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems to prototype and validate capabilities.
Train and evaluate reinforcement-learning (RL) and imitation-learning systems for manipulation, locomotion, or mobile platforms.
Integrate and experiment with robot platforms to validate algorithms in the physical world.
Create internal tools and infrastructure that accelerate robotics R&D.
Collaborate with external robotics companies and research labs on technical challenges.
Required:
Eligibility to work in the United States without employer sponsorship (visa sponsorship is not available).
Ability to work on-site in San Francisco — this role is not remote.
Strong proficiency in Python and C++.
Hands-on experience with robotics hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems.
Practical experience with deep learning, reinforcement learning, and computer vision.
Experience with real-to-sim and sim-to-real workflows.
Experience with embodied AI, RL for robotics, or vision-language-action models.
Nice to Have:
Familiarity with simulation platforms such as Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, MJX, Genesis, Gazebo, or PyBullet.
Experience with CAD tools or Blender for asset creation.
Exposure to modern ML methods: LLMs, Transformers, multimodal AI, diffusion models, or AI agents.
Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with robotics companies and external research labs.
Mindset: You're comfortable moving fluidly between research, engineering, experimentation, and product development in a small, fast-moving team. You want to ship, not just publish.
Salary: $100,000 – $300,000 USD annually, depending on experience and seniority.
Early-stage equity opportunity at a seed-stage company backed by a top accelerator.
On-site in San Francisco, CA, USA. Remote work is not available for this role.
Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be authorized to work in the US.