Talent.com
Toyota New Zeland
Machine Learning Research Scientist, Mechanical Intuition in Multimodal ModelsToyota New Zeland • Los Altos, CA
Machine Learning Research Scientist, Mechanical Intuition in Multimodal Models

Machine Learning Research Scientist, Mechanical Intuition in Multimodal Models

Toyota New Zeland • Los Altos, CA
30+ days ago
Salary
$158,400.00–$227,700.00 yearly
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Research Scientist to join us in building intelligent systems for physical assembly. This role is well-suited for a recent PhD graduate with a strong implementation track record and a genuine curiosity about how things are made.

As a researcher on the team, you will design and implement learning pipelines from scratch, run experiments to evaluate a wide range of architectural, data, and algorithmic choices, and help shape how we apply modern machine learning to the challenges of robotic assembly. You will work at the intersection of policy learning, reinforcement learning, and physical reasoning — and have the opportunity to explore how large language models and agentic infrastructure can be brought to bear on real-world manufacturing problems.

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement end-to-end modeling pipelines for machine assembly tasks, building from the ground up rather than adapting existing frameworks.
  • Run systematic experiments to evaluate architectural variants, data collection and curation strategies, and a range of supervised and reinforcement learning techniques for physical manipulation.
  • Develop and maintain rigorous evaluation protocols to measure policy performance across assembly scenarios, including generalization to novel parts, configurations, and failure modes.
  • Explore how modern LLMs and agentic systems can be integrated to support physical reasoning and task planning in assembly contexts.
  • Collaborate with researchers and engineers across TRI and Toyota's broader ecosystem to connect learning-based systems with real hardware and manufacturing workflows.
  • Contribute to writing and publishing research results in peer-reviewed venues.

Qualifications

  • A PhD in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline, completed recently (or nearing completion), with some post-PhD or internship work experience.
  • A demonstrated track record of implementing non-trivial learning systems — not just running baselines, but building pipelines and components from scratch.
  • Hands-on experience with policy learning, reinforcement learning, or robot learning, with strong intuitions about what makes these approaches succeed or fail in practice.
  • Proficiency in Python and comfort working across the full stack of a research project, from data processing to model training to evaluation.
  • Genuine interest in how physical products are designed and manufactured.

Bonus Qualifications

  • Familiarity with large language models, vision-language models, or agentic AI frameworks, particularly in contexts involving structured reasoning or tool use.
  • Experience with robot manipulation, motion planning, or sim-to-real transfer.
  • Exposure to manufacturing processes, assembly planning, or CAD/CAM toolchains.
  • Experience building or contributing to production-level research codebases.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $176,000 and $253,000/year for California-based roles, and between $158,400 and $227,700/year for Massachusetts-based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's experience, skills, job-related knowledge, and market location. TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) eligibility, paid time off benefits (including vacation, sick time, and parental leave), and an annual cash bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

Create a job alert for this search

Machine Learning Research Scientist, Mechanical Intuition in Multimodal Models • Los Altos, CA

Similar jobs

Assistant Math Learning Center Director

MathnasiumAptos, CA, United States
Part-time

Assistant Math Learning Center Director.Across North America and all over the world, Mathnasium Learning Centers are committed to teaching children math so that they understand it, master it, and l... Show more

 • Promoted

Data Scientist, Quantum Integrated Circuit Design Calibration

Rigetti ComputingFremont, CA, United States
Full-time

Data ScientistAs a Data Scientist in the quantum integrated circuit design team, you will play a critical role in our design, fabrication and test flywheel.Through comprehensive and robust analysis... Show more

 • Promoted

Director, Machine Learning Engineering

GEICOPalo Alto, CA, United States
Full-time

Director Runtime Intelligence & Personalization.We are seeking a strategic and execution-oriented Director to lead our Runtime Intelligence & Personalization function.This leader will own the visi... Show more

 • Promoted

Senior AI Scientist

FaponPleasanton, CA, United States
Full-time

Senior AI ScientistPromptBio, established in 2023 in Pleasanton, California, is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing AI-driven workflows that automate the discovery of novel biomarkers f... Show more

 • Promoted

Flexible remote AI work. Your schedule. Paid weekly, straight to your bank account.

Meridian.aiScotts Valley, CA, US
Remote
Full-time

Review and label digital content including text, images, and documents.Every task you complete helps improve how technology interprets information and performs in practical settings.Detail-oriented... Show more

 • Promoted

MLOps and ML Engineer

APTASKSan Ramon, CA, United States
Full-time

Job TitleThe client is a leading digital transformation consultancy and engineering services company that specializes in driving digital transformation for Fortune 1000 enterprises.The company prov... Show more

 • Promoted

Software Engineer, Machine Learning

Meta PlatformsNewark, CA, United States
Full-time

Talented Engineers WantedMeta is seeking talented engineers to join our teams in building cutting-edge products that connect billions of people around the world.As a member of our team, you will ha... Show more

 • Promoted

Make Miracles Happen: Become a Surrogate & Earn Up to $115,000 from Home!

Giving Tree SurrogacyLompico, CA, US
Full-time +1

We are looking for a passionate individual with a sense of responsibility and willingness to help create families to join us as a surrogate.In this role, you will be instrumental in supporting indi... Show more

 • Promoted

Innovation Scientist

SNC BestcoSanta Cruz, CA, United States
Full-time

We believe being healthy should not require tradeoffs.SCN BestCo is a leading innovator, developer and manufacturer of Vitamin, Mineral & Supplement (VMS), Over-the-Counter (OTC) and prebiotics/pro... Show more

 • Promoted

Principal EP Mapping Specialist - CAS

Medtronic PlcSanta Cruz, CA, United States
Full-time

Careers that change lives start here.Medtronic is a global leader in healthcare technology with a Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.Our 95,000 employees work across more th... Show more

 • Promoted

ENTRY LEVEL AI AND MACHINE LEARNING ENGINEER

SynergisticITFremont, CA, United States
Full-time

Job Opportunity At SynergisticitSynergisticIT wants every candidate to know that the job market is challenging and to stand out, you need to have exceptional skills and technologies and that's wher... Show more

 • Promoted

Medical Assistant

U.S. NavyScotts Valley, CA, United States
Full-time

Job Title :Medical Assistant/Technician (Hospital Corpsman) Category / Component :Enlisted Both Overview Hospital Corpsmen assist healthcare professionals and provide medical and dental care to Sai... Show more

 • Promoted

Vice President of Research, Machine Learning

ConfidentialSan Jose, CA, United States
Full-time

Vice President of Research, Machine Learning.High-talent-density, hands-on team building a magical AI product for global users.The Company is seeking a VP of Research in Machine Learning to take ow... Show more

 • Promoted

Remote AI Engineer & Machine Learning Researcher (Inference) - Speechify Inc. Speechify Inc #1 [...]

WorkinvirtualPalo Alto, CA, United States
Remote
Full-time

About SpeechifySpeechify is one of the world's leading AI-powered text-to-speech platforms , helping over 50 million users transform reading into listening.From PDFs, eBooks, Google Docs, and news ... Show more

 • Promoted

Principal Scientist, Innovation Management, Fremont CA

Boehringer IngelheimFremont, CA, United States
Full-time

DescriptionAs an employee of Boehringer Ingelheim, you will actively contribute to the discovery, development, and delivery of our products to our patients and customers.Our global presence provide... Show more

 • Promoted

Director, Machine Learning, Alzheimer's Disease Initiative

Arc InstitutePalo Alto, CA, United States
Full-time

Director, Machine Learning, Alzheimer's Disease Initiative.Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accele... Show more

 • Promoted

Principal Machine Learning Engineer

WorkdayPleasanton, CA, United States
Full-time

Your Work Days Are Brighter HereWe're obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us.As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing ... Show more

 • Promoted

Machine Learning Engineer

Perfict Global, Inc.Fremont, CA, United States
Full-time

Machine Learning EngineerExperience:9years Visa:GC, USC, GCEAD, H4EAD, TN Tax Term:W2 Client:Tesla Location:Fremont, CA, onsiteProject Description:Design, develop and implement critical machine lea... Show more

 • Promoted

Machine Learning Data Engineer - Systems & Retrieval

ZyphraPalo Alto, CA, United States
Full-time

ZyphraZyphra is an artificial intelligence company based in Palo Alto, California.The RoleAs a Machine Learning Data Engineer - Systems & Retrieval, you will build and optimize the data infrast... Show more

 • Promoted

Manager, Robotics Engagements

Lam ResearchFremont, CA, United States
Full-time

We are looking for a forward-thinker to join the Corporate Strategy organization working within the Lam Capital and Corporate Development teams to drive robotics, automation, and physical AI innova... Show more