Basis Research Institute · 1 month ago
Research Scientist, Program Synthesis & Neuro-symbolic Methods
New York Office
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$120K/yr - $180K/yrBasis is a nonprofit applied AI research organization focused on understanding and building intelligence while advancing society's ability to solve complex problems. The Research Scientist role involves developing computational theories of scientific reasoning for robotics and embodied intelligence, requiring expertise in Program Synthesis and Neuro-symbolic Methods.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)CharityDatabaseInformation TechnologyNon Profit
Responsibilities
Develop computational theories of intelligence specific to program synthesis and neuro-symbolic methods, focusing on synthesizing control programs, learning interpretable models, or bridging symbolic reasoning with neural learning
Design and implement novel algorithms that push the boundaries of sample efficiency, generalization, interpretability, or robustness in embodied AI systems
Collaborate across specializations to integrate world modeling with planning, symbolic reasoning with neural learning, and high-level objectives with low-level control
Validate research on physical systems by working with hardware engineers to test algorithms on real robots, addressing the sim-to-real gap and practical deployment challenges
Work with domain experts inside and outside Basis to identify impactful applications of MARA technology in scientific discovery, manufacturing, or other domains
Distill insights from problem-solving into general mathematical and computational theories that advance our understanding of intelligence
Develop and maintain open-source software that enables reproducible research and broader community engagement with MARA technologies
(Optionally) Publish and present findings in journals and conferences to establish thought leadership in embodied AI and scientific reasoning
Contribute to the culture and direction of Basis by modeling scientific rigor, creative problem-solving, and commitment to advancing societal capabilities
Qualification
Required
Have demonstrated an ability to do scientific research that is of high quality. Possible ways to demonstrate this include publications at top venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, POPL, PLDI), technical reports, and impactful software projects
Possess deep expertise in Program Synthesis & Neuro-symbolic Methods: Domain-specific languages, program induction, verifiable control, neuro-symbolic integration
Experience with combining neural networks with symbolic reasoning or program generation
Have strong mathematical and computational foundations including probability theory, optimization, linear algebra, and the ability to implement complex algorithms from first principles
Be comfortable working across the research-to-deployment pipeline, from theoretical development through experimental validation
Progress with autonomy and intellectual curiosity. You can identify valuable research directions within the broader MARA mission, design experiments, and drive projects to completion
Value collaboration and knowledge transfer. You actively share insights across specialization boundaries and help integrate diverse approaches into coherent systems
Be excited about solving real-world problems through embodied intelligence that advances our ability to understand and interact with the physical world
Preferred
PhD (or equivalent experience) in technical areas including: robotics, machine learning, computer vision, control theory, cognitive science, or physics
Experience at leading robotics or AI labs (academic or industry)
Track record of algorithms deployed on physical robot systems
Contributions to major open-source projects in robotics or ML
Experience with both theoretical research and systems engineering
Background spanning multiple specialization areas
Company
Basis Research Institute
Basis is a nonprofit applied research organization with two mutually reinforcing goals. The first is to understand and build intelligence.
Founded in 2022
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Basis Research Institute has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2024 (2)
2022 (5)
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageLeadership Team
Zenna Tavares
Founder
Company data provided by crunchbase