SDE - Robotics and Physics Simulation, Frontier AI Robotics

DESCRIPTION:

In this role, you will act as the primary specialist for physics engine internals and dynamics, developing high-fidelity, vectorized simulation environments for robotics locomotion, navigation, and interaction/manipulation. You will collaborate with hardware engineers to validate robot models and partner with research scientists to ensure numerical stability and physical accuracy for Sim2Real transfer. Your work focuses on tuning solvers, optimizing collision dynamics, and performing system identification to enable the training of robust robot control policies for complex, physical interactions.

Key job responsibilities
* Develop and maintain the shared simulation software framework, specifically owning the physics integration, robot state management, and control layers
* Develop and optimize parallelized (vectorized) physics environments for high-throughput reinforcement learning (e.g., Isaac Lab, MuJoCo)
* Tune physics engine parameters (solvers, friction, restitution) to support complex contact-rich scenarios required for dexterous manipulation and agile locomotion.
* Implement and validate complex robot models (URDF/MJCF) involving precise actuator and sensor modeling
* Collaborate with robot engineers and scientists to perform System Identification (SysID) to minimize the Sim2Real gap

About the team
At Frontier AI & Robotics (FAR), we're not just advancing robotics - we're reimagining it from the ground up. Our team is building the future of intelligent robotics through frontier foundation models and end-to-end learned systems. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in AI and robotics, from developing sophisticated perception systems to creating adaptive manipulation strategies that work in complex, real-world scenarios.

What sets us apart is our unique combination of ambitious research vision and practical impact. We leverage Amazon's massive computational infrastructure and rich real-world datasets to train and deploy state-of-the-art foundation models. Our work spans the full spectrum of robotics intelligence - from multimodal perception using images, videos, and sensor data, to sophisticated manipulation strategies that can handle diverse real-world scenarios. We're building systems that don't just work in the lab, but scale to meet the demands of Amazon's global operations.

Join us if you're excited about pushing the boundaries of what's possible in robotics, working with world-class researchers, and seeing your innovations deployed at unprecedented scale.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- 3+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 3+ years of non-internship design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field
- 1+ years Software engineering experience in robotics or physics simulation, with a strong understanding of rigid body dynamics and numerical integration
- Experience using standard physics engines (e.g., MuJoCo, PhysX, Bullet, Havok)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

- Master's degree or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent preferred
- Deep understanding of contact dynamics, collision detection algorithms, and numerical solvers
- Experience with robotics system identification (SysID) and model validation against real hardware
- Experience with GPU-accelerated simulation frameworks (e.g., Isaac Gym/Lab, Mujoco Warp)
- Familiarity with tensor frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow) for writing vectorized code and interfacing with learning pipelines
- A passion for robotics and a desire to build intelligent systems that can positively impact the world.

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company's reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you're applying in isn't listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, CA, San Francisco - 165,200.00 - 223,600.00 USD annually