Sr. Applied & Research Scientist - Safe Autonomy Frontiers; SAF) Lab, Safe Autonomy Frontiers; SAF) Lab

We are seeking Applied and Research Scientists to join the Safe Autonomy Frontiers (SAF) Lab. In this role, you will develop and deploy the science of safe autonomy on highly dynamic robots, advancing the frontier through both foundational research and realization on hardware. You will contribute to achieving safe autonomy across three key areas: control barrier function (CBF) theory for robust and performant safety on hardware;

safe reinforcement learning for agile whole-body control; and layered safety filters that interface with learning, perception, and semantic reasoning systems. You will validate your work experimentally on state-of-the-art robotic platforms — removing bottlenecks to deployment and enabling robots to safely operate around humans. You will work with the inventor of CBFs, as well as top scientists and engineers at Amazon developing the next generation of safe autonomy.

• Advance the science of safe autonomy from formal foundations to the integration with learning and perception to validation on hardware — with particular emphasis on methods that bridge these domains.
• Test and validate hardware, with a focus on next generation robotic systems. Including locomotion, manipulation and loco-manipulation.
• Leverage the deployments on hardware to validate the underlying science, identifying gaps between theory and practice that drive the next cycle of research. hardware to validate the underlying science, identifying gaps between theory and practice that drive the next cycle of research.
• Publish research at top-tier robotics, control, and ML venues, and contribute to Amazon’s scientific reputation in advanced robotics.
• Collaborate with SAF Lab and Amazon production teams to move research into robots deployed at Amazon scale.

Amazon offers a full range of benefits that support you and eligible family members, including domestic partners and their children. Benefits can vary by location, the number of regularly scheduled hours you work, length of employment, and job status such as seasonal or temporary employment. The benefits that generally apply to regular, full-time employees include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Maternity and Parental Leave Options
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401(k) Plan

The Safe Autonomy Frontiers (SAF) Lab is the first industry research lab dedicated to safe autonomy, founded by the inventor of control barrier functions. We are developing a universal safety layer for the next generation of robotic systems: mobile robots, manipulators, quadrupeds, and humanoids. Here you will advance performant safety for highly dynamic robots — CBF theory integrated with perception and learning, evaluated on next-generation platforms — and your work will underpin robots operating alongside people at Amazon’s unprecedented scale.

• PhD, or Master's degree and 3+ years of industry or academic research experience
• Master’s degree and 3+ years of applied science, research, or robotics engineering experience — OR a PhD — in computer science, robotics, control, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field.
• Hands‑on experience developing and deploying control algorithms and/or learning policies on physical robotic hardware in a research or production setting (not simulation‑only).
• Working knowledge of safety‑critical control, including control barrier functions and safety filters.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python, with a track record of implementing control algorithms and/or learning policies in real systems.
• Experience with physics simulators for robotics (e.g., Isaac Gym/Sim, Mu Jo Co , PyBullet).
• Demonstrated technical impact through shipped systems, patents, or publications at top‑tier venues…