Aurora Innovation
AppliedResearcher,Perception
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Entry candidates.
“Applied Researcher, Perception at Aurora Innovation. Skills: Vision-Language Models, Vision-Language-Action models, AI, Robotics. Deep dive into VLM/VLA architectures. Determine architecture viability”
Industry & Context.
Troubleshoot architectures
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
PhD Graduate in AI, Computer Science, or Robotics, Deep expertise in Vision-Language Models (VLM), Deep expertise in Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, Hands-on experience with 'jagged edges', Ability to translate complex papers into production-ready code, Willingness to mentor existing team members, Excitement for large-scale infrastructure, Excitement for supercomputing environments, Ability to rethink and redo entire model architectures
Nice to Have
Top-tier research lab background
What You'll Do.
Deep dive into VLM/VLA architectures
Determine architecture viability
Act as subject matter expert
Guide engineering team
Bridge theory and applications
Redesign model architectures
Optimize model architectures
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Collaborate with engineering team; Mentor existing team members
Full Job Description
Who we are Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone. At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge. For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on LinkedIn. Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We’re searching for a PhD to serve as our technical pathfinder in the realm of Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models. You won't just be applying existing tech; you will be identifying the 'jagged edges'—the points of failure in current state-of-the-art models—and helping us rediscover and rebuild our architecture from the ground up. In this role, you will focus on Architectural Exploration: Deep dive into VLM/VLA architectures to determine their viability for our specific problem sets. Technical Mentorship: Act as the subject matter expert and guide for an exceptionally capable engineering team eager to move into this space. Practical Implementation: Bridge the gap between high-level academic theory and practical, scalable applications. Innovation: Redesign and optimize model architectures to leverage high-performance computing environments like Aurora. Required Qualifications Recent PhD Graduate in AI, Computer Science, or Robotics (Top-tier research lab background) Deep expertise in Vision-Language Models (VLM) and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models Hands-on experience with 'jagged edges'—knowing where current architectures fail and how to troubleshoot them Practical researcher: Ability to translate complex papers into production-ready cod
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