Research Scientist - Robot Learning: GE Vernova Advanced Research

Job Description SummaryGE Vernova’s researchers work on the advancement of Robot Perception technology for industrial domain, ultimately contributing to the Energy Transition by electrifying the world and decarbonizing the energy sector.

As a Research Scientist in Robotic learning, you will play a key role in solving challenging robot learning problems for various robotic platforms (i.e., manipulators, quadrupeds, etc.) in industrial settings. You will be creating manipulation behaviors for industrial robotic systems. We are investing in reinforcement learning (RL) as a key technology for achieving robust robotic manipulation that can be deployed in real-world environments. In this role, you will be responsible for architecting, training, and deploying learned models to expand the capabilities of current industrial robotic systems to solve challenging manipulation tasks. You will shape novel techniques to expand the ability for robots to effectively interact with the world. You will develop algorithms for robotic systems for various industrial domains including renewable energy, power generation, electric grids, and manufacturing. This will involve working on projects with GE Vernova’s business units and a wide array of fellow researchers across disciplines and domains. It will also include the opportunity to work on government-sponsored, cutting-edge research programs with GE Vernova’s external partners in academia and government. You will help drive the future of robotics research at GE Vernova.

As a GE Vernova accelerator, GE Vernova Advanced Research is driving strategy and leading research & development efforts to execute on the business’s mission to power the energy transition. We forge the partnerships and invent the technologies required to electrify and decarbonize for a zero-carbon future.

Representing virtually every major scientific and engineering discipline, our researchers are collaborating with GE Vernova’s businesses, the U.S. government, and more than 420 technology partners to execute on 150+ energy-focused projects. Collectively, these research programs and initiatives aim to solve near term technical challenges, deliver next generation product advances, and drive long term breakthrough innovation to enable more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy.

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities:

• Work with teams of researchers on new and continuing projects 
• Develop robotic learning modules for real world manipulation application in industrial setting
• Creatively combine state-of-the-art (SOTA) open-source models and in-house data to advance the robot capabilities
• Write high-quality (documented, tested, maintainable) Python / C / C++ code in a large shared codebase
• Implement and analyze prototypes and solutions for real-world problems
• Create intellectual property by writing invention disclosures and filing patents
• Publish research work to scientific journals and conferences
• Writing and/or supporting grant proposals

Qualifications/Requirements:

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field OR MS and 2+ years' experience in similar
• Prior experience training and deploying RL policies for complex behaviors in robots (i.e., manipulators, quadrupeds etc)
• Experience with common ML tools, architectures, and workflows
• Strong analytical and debug skills
• Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals at the Master's level for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening.
• Must be willing to work out of an office located in Niskayuna, NY
• Must be 18 years or older
• You must submit your application for employment on the careers page at www.careers.gevernova.com to be considered

Desired Characteristics:

• Hands-on robotics (manipulators, quadrupeds etc.) experience with robot hardware

The salary range for this position is $85,600 - $140,000 USD, annually. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. This position is also eligible for a performance bonus. This position will remain posted until at least July 25th, 2025.

GE provides a comprehensive benefits package that provides access to plans which support the overall wellbeing of our employees and their dependents. These benefits include, but are not limited to, health care coverage (medical, dental, vision, pharmacy), a retirement plan that includes Company Retirement Savings and a 401K with Company matching, Life Insurance options, Disability coverage, paid time-off, EAP, and more.