NIO · 19 hours ago
AI Robotics Researcher
San Francisco Bay Area
Full-time
Onsite
Entry, Mid Level
$180K/yr - $230K/yrNIO is a global smart electric vehicle company dedicated to shaping a sustainable future through high-performance vehicles. They are seeking exceptional AI Robotics Researchers to pioneer the intersection of embodied AI and robotic manipulation, focusing on developing models for robot perception and control in real-world scenarios.
AutomotiveAutonomous VehiclesElectric VehicleElectronicsTransportation
Hiring Manager
Tom Q. Zhang
Responsibilities
Conduct original research in embodied AI, robotic manipulation, and world modeling—including perception, planning, and control
Develop and evaluate large-scale multimodal models that integrate vision, language, proprioception, and tactile inputs for real-world robotic tasks
Create and prototype algorithms for dexterous robotic hands, contact-rich manipulation, and adaptive task generalization
Explore methods for sim-to-real transfer, self-supervised physical interaction learning, and reinforcement learning in dynamic environments
Collaborate with hardware and systems teams to translate research into real robotic systems—from simulation to physical deployment
Publish and present your work at top-tier venues (e.g., CoRL, ICRA, RSS, NeurIPS) and contribute to advancing the state of embodied AI globally
Shape the long-term roadmap of NIO’s embodied intelligence initiative, defining the frontier of AI-powered robotics in real-world domains
Qualification
Required
Master's or Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or related fields
Deep understanding of robot learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, world modeling, or differentiable physics simulation
Hands-on experience with robotic manipulation, grasp planning, tactile sensing, or multi-sensor fusion
Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow), and robotics middleware such as ROS2
Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and publish in leading AI/robotics venues
Strong analytical and system-building skills; ability to work across simulation, perception, control, and physical robot hardware
Preferred
Ph.D. (or Ph.D. candidate expecting graduation within 6–12 months)
Track record of publications in top AI or robotics conferences (CoRL, ICRA, IROS, RSS, NeurIPS, CVPR, ICML)
Experience with dexterous manipulation systems, multi-fingered hands, or grasp optimization
Familiarity with 3D perception, neural implicit representations, or foundation models for robotics
Experience in sim-to-real transfer, real-time control, or model-based RL
Passion for applying AI to physical systems and creating robots that solve real problems in the real world
Company
NIO
NIO is an automotive company that designs and develops electric autonomous vehicles.
Founded in 2014
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
NIO 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
2025 (10)
2024 (7)
2023 (32)
2022 (31)
2021 (18)
2020 (25)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$11.89BKey Investors
Contemporary Amperex TechnologyHefei Jianxiang InvestmentCYVN Holdings
2025-09-10Post Ipo Equity· $1.16B
2025-03-27Post Ipo Equity· $518.3M
2025-03-18Post Ipo Equity· $345.89M
Leadership Team
Shaoqing Ren
VP, Autonomous Driving Development
Recent News
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