Applied Researcher

physicalintelligence· AI & Robotics Research
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📍 San FranciscoFullTime

About this role

Who We Are

Physical Intelligence is bringing general-purpose AI into the physical world. We are a group of engineers, scientists, roboticists, and company builders developing foundation models and learning algorithms to power the robots of today and the physically-actuated devices of the future.

The Team

The Deployments team is responsible for solving real world problems with our models and robots. We tackle the full problem space: integrating with customer workflows, training models to solve their dexterous tasks, and ensuring the on-site reliability of the system. This breadth of problem space is why we’re a full-stack robotics team - whether it’s thinking about customer facing experiences or fine-tuning models for tasks no robot has done before, we put forth the best solution Pi has to offer.

In This Role You Will

- Deploy and debug learned policies on physical robots, diagnosing failures across the full stack (perception, policy, control, hardware).

- Train and tune policies, curate data, and iterate to improve real-world performance.

- Write production-quality code that interfaces with Pi’s infrastructure.

- Work with operators to set up tests, evals, and data collection pipelines.

- Engage with partners to understand use cases and observe robots in deployment contexts.

- Bridge research and operations: translate research advances into deployable systems, and surface real-world failure modes back to researchers and (software and hardware!) engineers.

- Define and shape a vision for what real-world deployments will look like in the long-term

What We Hope You’ll Bring

- Hands-on experience deploying robots or autonomous systems in real-world environments

- Strong engineering skills: clean Python, ability to interface with infrastructure, debugging instincts

- Ability to debug the full stack from perception to control

- Practical mindset: motivated by making things work, not by open-ended research

- Clear communication with researchers, operators, and occasionally partners

Bonus Points If You Have

- Founded or worked at an early-stage robotics or AV company

- PhD in relevant field

- Intuition for policy training, neural network debugging, and data curation

- Experience with robot manipulation platforms

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the salary disclosed for the Applied Researcher position at physicalintelligence?
The salary for this Applied Researcher role at physicalintelligence is not publicly listed. Click "Apply Now" to learn more about the compensation package on their official careers page.
Where is the Applied Researcher position at physicalintelligence located?
This Applied Researcher role at physicalintelligence is based in San Francisco. The position is listed as on-site or hybrid. Check the full job description or apply directly to confirm the work arrangement.
Is the Applied Researcher role at physicalintelligence full-time or part-time?
This is listed as a FullTime position. It is posted as a Applied Researcher role in the AI & Robotics Research department at physicalintelligence.
Which team or department does the Applied Researcher at physicalintelligence belong to?
This Applied Researcher position is part of the AI & Robotics Research department at physicalintelligence. See the full job description for more information about the team structure and responsibilities.
How do I apply for the Applied Researcher position at physicalintelligence?
Click the "Apply Now" button on this page. You will be redirected to physicalintelligence's official application portal hosted on ashby where you can submit your application directly.
When was the Applied Researcher job at physicalintelligence posted?
This Applied Researcher position at physicalintelligence was posted on Jan 23, 2026. Apply as soon as possible — early applications are often reviewed first.
Applied Researcher
physicalintelligence
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You'll be redirected to physicalintelligence's official application page on Ashby ATS.