Toyota Research Institute

Machine Learning Research Scientist - Robotics, Trustworthy Learning under Uncertainty (TLU)

Toyota Research Institute  •  $200k - $288k/yr  •  Los Altos, CA (Onsite)  •  5 days ago
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Job Description

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team advancing the state of the art in AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences.
The Mission To conduct cutting-edge research that will enable general-purpose robots to be reliably deployed at scale in human environments.
The Challenge We envision a future where robots assist with household chores and cooking, aid the elderly in maintaining their independence, and enable people to spend more time on the activities they enjoy most. To achieve this, robots need to operate reliably in messy, unstructured environments. 
Recent years have witnessed a surge in the use of foundation models in various application domains, particularly in robotics. These “large behavior models” (LBMs) are enhancing the capabilities of autonomous robots to perform complex tasks in open, interactive environments. TRI Robotics is at the forefront of this emerging field by applying insights from foundation models, including large-scale pre-training and generative deep learning. However, ensuring the reliability of LBMs for large-scale deployment in diverse operating conditions remains a challenge. 
The Team We aim to make progress on some of the hardest scientific challenges in the safe and effective use and development of machine learning algorithms in robotics. To this end, the research mission of the Trustworthy Learning under Uncertainty (TLU) team within the Robotics division is to enable the robust, reliable, and adaptive deployment of LBMs at scale in human environments.
To guarantee dependable deployment at scale in the years to come, we are dedicated to enhancing trustworthiness of LBMs through three key principles, as detailed (i) ensuring objective assessment of policy performance (Rigorous Evaluation), (ii) improving the ability to detect and handle unknown situations and return to nominal performance (Failure Detection and Mitigation), and (iii) developing the capability to identify and adapt to new information (Active / Continual Learning).
Our team has deep cross-functional expertise across controls, uncertainty-aware ML, statistics, and robotics. We measure our success by advancing the state of the art through algorithmic innovations and publishing these results in high-impact journals and conferences. We value contributions of reproducible and usable open-source software.
The Opportunity We are looking for a driven research scientist with a strong background in embodied machine learning and a “make it happen” mentality. Specifically, we are looking for expertise across a variety of areas, including Policy Evaluation, Failure Detection and Mitigation, and Active Learning in the context of Large Behavior Models (LBMs) for robotic manipulation. Our topics of interest include but are not limited to: Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Generative Modeling, Imitation Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Planning & Control, Statistics, Uncertainty Estimation, Out-of-Distribution Detection, Safety-Aware & Robust ML, (Inter)Active Learning, and Online / Continual Learning.
The ideal candidate is able to conduct research independently and works well as part of a larger research team at the cutting edge of state-of-the-art robotics and machine learning. Experience with robots is preferred, particularly in manipulation.
If our mission of  robust, reliable, and adaptive deployment of LBMs at scale in human environments resonates with you, reach out by submitting an application!

Responsibilities

  • Work as part of a dynamic, closely-knit team conducting research on reliable, robust, and adaptive deployment of machine learning models in robot manipulation. 
  • Push the boundaries of knowledge and the state-of-the-art in Robotics and LBMs.
  • Contribute to cutting-edge development in the areas of: Rigorous Policy Evaluation, Failure Detection and Mitigation, and Active / Continual Learning.
  • Be a key member of the team and play a critical role in rapid progress measured by both the development of internal capabilities and high-impact external publication.
  • Collaborate with internal research scientists and engineers across the TLU team, Robotics division, TRI, and Toyota, as well as our university partners across top academic research universities, such as MIT, Stanford, CMU, Columbia, USC, and Princeton.
  • Present results in verbal and written communications at international conferences, internally, and via open-source contributions to the community.

Qualifications

  • A Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Robotics, or related fields.
  • Passionate about large scale challenges in ML grounded in physical systems, especially in the space of robotic manipulation.
  • Expertise in Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Generative Modeling, Imitation Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Planning & Control, Statistics, Uncertainty Estimation, Out-of-Distribution Detection, Safety-Aware & Robust ML, (Inter)Active Learning, and/or Online / Continual Learning.
  • A strong track record of publication at high-impact conferences/journals (e.g., CoRL, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML, UAI, AISTATS, AAAI, TMLR, RSS, ICRA, IROS, RA-L, T-RO, CDC, L4DC, etc.) on some of the aforementioned topics.
  • Proficiency with one or more coding languages and systems, preferably Python, Unix, and a Deep Learning framework (e.g., PyTorch). 
  • Ability to collaborate with other researchers and engineers of the TLU team, and, more broadly, the Robotics division to invent and develop interesting research ideas.
  • A reliable teammate who loves to think big, go deeper, and deliver with integrity.

Bonus Qualifications

  • Some familiarity with robots and the challenges inherent in conducting research on physical hardware platform.
  • Familiarity with data pipelines, model serving and optimization, cloud training, and dataset management is also useful.
The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $200,000 and $287,500/year for California-based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's experience, skills, job-related knowledge, and market location. TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) eligibility, paid time off benefits (including vacation, sick time, and parental leave), and an annual cash bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
Please reference this Candidate Privacy Notice to inform you of the categories of personal information that we collect from individuals who inquire about and/or apply to work for Toyota Research Institute, Inc. or its subsidiaries, including Toyota A.I. Ventures GP, L.P., and the purposes for which we use such personal information.
TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture. We believe diversity makes us stronger and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.
Toyota Research Institute

About Toyota Research Institute

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re conducting research to amplify human ability, focusing on making our lives safer and more sustainable. Led by Dr. Gill Pratt, TRI’s team of researchers develops technologies to advance automated driving, energy and materials, human-centered artificial intelligence, human interactive driving, large behavior models, and robotics. We’re dedicated to building a world of “mobility for all” where everyone, regardless of age or ability, can live in harmony with technology to enjoy a better life. Through innovations in AI, we will:

- Develop technology for vehicles and robots to help people enjoy new levels of independence, access, and mobility.

- Bring advanced mobility technology to market faster.

- Discover new materials that will make batteries and hydrogen fuel cells smaller, lighter, less expensive, and more powerful.

Our work is guided by a dedication to safety – in how we research, develop, and validate the performance of vehicle technology to benefit society. As a subsidiary of Toyota, TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people who carry invaluable leadership, experience, and ideas from industry-leading companies. Over half of our technical team holds PhD degrees. We’re continually searching for the world’s best talent ‒ people who are ready to define the new world of mobility with us!

We strive to build a company that helps our people thrive, achieve work-life balance, and bring their best selves to work. At TRI, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds ‒ a fun start-up environment with brilliant people who enjoy solving tough problems and the financial backing to successfully achieve our goals. Come work with TRI if you’re interested in transforming mobility through designing safer cars, enabling the elderly to age in place, or designing alternative fuel sources. Start your impossible with us.

Industry
Biotech & Life Sciences
Company Size
201-500 employees
Headquarters
Los Altos, California
Year Founded
2016
Website
tri.global
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