Job Description

26WD97951

Research Engineer

Autodesk Research – Manufacturing Industry Futures, San Francisco

Location: San Francisco, CA
Work Arrangement: Hybrid, typically 3+ days on-site
Reports to: Research Manager, Manufacturing Industry Futures
Team: Autodesk Research

Autodesk Research is seeking a Research Engineer to help shape the future of manufacturing through hands-on experimentation at the intersection of manufacturing, engineering, artificial intelligence, automation, and digital transformation. Based at the Autodesk Technology Center in San Francisco, this role will contribute to pioneering research into how AI-enabled workflows, digital twins, robotics, simulation, sensing, and advanced fabrication can come together to redefine how things are made.

The San Francisco Technology Center is evolving into a world-class environment for experimentation and a space where ideas and technologies that may not yet exist in industry are explored, tested, and refined. The Research Engineer will work directly with researchers, technologists, industry partners, and Technology Center staff to design and build experimental systems that connect digital models, physical processes, real-world data, and intelligent automation.

This role is for someone who understands manufacturing and engineering applications deeply and is excited by the opportunity to apply AI in practical, impactful ways. You do not need to be a foundational AI researcher, but you should be curious about how AI can be used to improve manufacturing workflows, accelerate experimentation, support decision-making, and connect design, simulation, production, and feedback from the physical world.

If you are inspired by how people design and make anything, and you thrive in a hands-on environment where research meets industry, this role offers the opportunity to help build what comes next.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and run hands-on experiments in the Manufacturing Industry Futures group, with a focus on applied research that advances manufacturing processes, systems, and technologies.
• Develop experimental workflows that connect design, simulation, fabrication, sensing, robotics, automation, and real-world production data.
• Apply AI-assisted and agentic workflows to manufacturing and engineering contexts, including areas such as process planning, simulation feedback, anomaly detection, workflow automation, and decision support.
• Build integrated software and hardware pipelines for experimentation and physical prototyping, including additive manufacturing, robotic systems, metal fabrication, electronics, sensors, and industrial data systems.
• Evaluate and test emerging technologies, including AI, robotics, simulation, digital twins, machine perception, and automation in manufacturing contexts.
• Collaborate closely with Boston Technology Center staff, Autodesk Research teams worldwide, and industry and academic partners.
• Contribute to research projects from concept through experimentation, prototyping, testing, and implementation.
• Help translate research insights into intellectual property, prototypes, tools, and scalable technologies that advance Autodesk’s platform and customer capabilities.
• Work in a multidisciplinary environment where manufacturing knowledge, engineering judgment, software development, and experimental rigor are all essential.
• Share findings clearly through prototypes, demonstrations, documentation, presentations, and technical communication.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Manufacturing, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• Relevant industry, research, or applied R&D experience.
• Hands-on experience with manufacturing systems, robotics, automation, sensing, fabrication, or physical prototyping.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing or engineering workflows, including how digital tools are used in design, simulation, production, inspection, or process improvement.
• Experience applying AI, data-driven methods, or automation tools to engineering, manufacturing, or physical systems.
• Familiarity with simulation, digital twin, or model-based engineering workflows.
• Experience working with large datasets, sensor data, machine data, production data, or experimental data.
• Ability to build and test integrated systems that combine software, hardware, data, and physical processes.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across disciplines and with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• A track record of hands-on experimentation and working with emerging technologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, Manufacturing, Robotics, or a related field.
• Experience with AI-assisted workflows, agentic systems, MCP or similar toolchains, or AI-enabled automation in engineering or manufacturing contexts.
• Experience with physics-informed AI, AI for physical systems, or machine learning applied to manufacturing, simulation, robotics, or process optimization.
• Familiarity with industrial data systems and communication protocols such as MQTT, MTConnect, OPC UA, or related IoT / industrial networking technologies.
• Experience with robotics, machine vision, additive manufacturing, CNC, industrial automation, or smart factory systems.
• Experience developing intellectual property, prototypes, or technology that has transferred from research into industrial or commercial contexts.
• Curiosity for exploring uncharted territory and shaping the future of how products are designed and made.

About Autodesk Research

Autodesk Research partners with academia, industry, and government to explore the future of design, engineering, and manufacturing. Our teams combine scientific rigor with creative exploration to transform ideas into technologies that empower people to make anything.

The Manufacturing Industry Futures team focuses on redefining how things are designed and made using data, automation, and intelligence to unlock the next generation of manufacturing innovation.

Why Autodesk

At Autodesk, we’re building a better world designed and made for all. You’ll work with brilliant, curious people in a flexible, hybrid environment that values experimentation, inclusivity, and collaboration. Join us and help shape the technologies that define the future of making.

About Autodesk

Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software – from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made.

We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk – it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world.

When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us!

Benefits

From health and financial benefits to time away and everyday wellness, we give Autodeskers the best, so they can do their best work. Learn more about our benefits in the U.S. by visiting https://benefits.autodesk.com/

Salary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. For U.S.-based roles, we expect a starting base salary between $122,000 and $219,010. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience and geographic location, and may exceed this range. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Equal Employment Opportunity

At Autodesk, we're building a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to imagine, design, and make a better world. Autodesk is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. We also consider for employment all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

Diversity & Belonging

We take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/diversity-and-belonging

Are you an existing contractor or consultant with Autodesk?

Please search for open jobs and apply internally (not on this external site).