Senior Research Engineer, Applied Robotics Navigation, DeepMind

Google DeepMind Robotics is seeking a Senior Research Engineer to lead the development and deployment of robot navigation solutions using advanced Vision Language Action (VLA) models. The role involves integrating Gemini-based models with physical actions, working on simulation and real-world deployment, and collaborating with external partners. The ideal candidate has experience with SLAM, deep learning, and ML tools.

• Lead development, integration, and deployment of robot navigation solutions (learned/VLA-based and classical) for internal research and external partner use cases.
• Own the life-cycle of navigation solutions from conceptualization and simulation testing to real-world deployment on various robotic embodiments.
• Drive and guide data collection initiatives to support navigation model training, including defining data requirements and ensuring data quality.
• Oversee and participate in training, fine-tuning, and optimizing frontier ML models (e.g., Gemini-based VLAs) for navigation and spatial reasoning tasks.
• Collaborate closely with external partners to understand target environments and iteratively improve models based on real-world feedback.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or equivalent practical experience.
• 4 years of experience in a technical role (Software Engineering, Research Engineering, AI/ML Engineering, or Solutions Architecture).