Staff, ML Research Scientist
Bostondynamics Open · verified Oct 22, 2026 At a glance
Senior AI Research role at Bostondynamics. Waltham Office · $154,310–$192,887 base.
aimlroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Create machine-learning architectures that help robots work safely around people
- Build, test and deploy models that identify hazards, people and other features in the environment
- Prepare datasets, performance measures and validation plans for machine-learning research
- Prototype deep-learning perception and behavior models with a small team to add robot safety features
What you bring
- At least five years applying deep learning to real-world computer vision or LLM problems at scale
- Experience taking modern deep-learning models from research through deployment, including Transformers, VLMs/VLAs or deep reinforcement learning
- You have handled the full development process, from network design and data management through production and live validation
Who this fits
This staff-level role suits someone who enjoys hands-on research and building models with a small, interdisciplinary team. You must be eligible to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is unavailable.
From the employer
As a Staff ML Research Scientist on the Machine Learning Safety R&D Team, you will join a small cross-functional group developing machine learning models that will enable our robots to operate safely around people. Every day you will help research, design, and build innovative machine learning models and algorithms to run on our robots. Your work will pave the way for our Embodied AI.
In this role you will chart a path by combining the best of state of the art ML architectures with real-world safe robotics challenges, ultimately creating novel solutions to one of the most important problems in robotics. If you are creative, thrive in a small team environment, and passionate about using machine learning to further a world where humans and robots truly work together - come join us!
How you will make an impact:
Research and build novel model architectures which allow our robots to operate safely around people.
Research, build, validate, and deploy ML models to detect hazards, humans, and other environmental features.
Develop datasets, metrics, and validation plans for ML model research.
Work closely with a small team to design and prototype new deep learning based perception and behavior models which create safety features for our robots.
We are looking for:
5+ years of experience applying Deep Learning (ML) to scalable real-world problems in computer vision or LLMs.
Experience in the full modeling cycle from research to deployment of modern Deep Learning architectures such as Transformers, VLMs/VLAs, and Deep Reinforcement Learning.
Knowledge of state of the art work in related areas of computer vision, world models, and Deep Reinforcement Learning. Publications are a plus.
Experience with the full lifecycle of Deep Learning development, including network design, data management, training, evaluation, hyperparameter search, deployment/productionalization, and online validation.
Strong communication skills, including ability to author technical documentation and deliver presentations on technical topics.
History of working in small, interdisciplinary teams.
The base pay range for this position is between $154,310 to $192,887 annually. Base pay will depend on multiple individualized factors including, but not limited to internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience. This range represents a good faith estimate of compensation at the time of posting. Boston Dynamics offers a generous Benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401(k), paid time off and a annual bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer for employment.
We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas for this position