Research Scientist - College of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering

About the role

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world's most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn't imagine the future, we invent it. If you're passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here!

Innovation. Interdisciplinary collaboration. Complex problem solving. In Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, faculty members, researchers, and students are revolutionizing focus areas in advanced manufacturing, bioengineering, computational engineering, energy and the environment, product design, and robotics. In addition, they are using their expertise in interdisciplinary research centers across the university.

Carnegie Mellon University's department of Mechanical Engineering is searching for a Research Scientist to join their team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in an interesting and challenging work environment. You will contribute to the department by leading the Safe AI Lab's research program on scenario generation, simulation, and digital twins for embodied AI.

The role builds digital twins of industrial work cells and assembly processes, generates safety-critical and long-tail scenarios from incident data, standards, and procedural variation, and runs simulation-based evaluation of robot policies in physics simulators (NVIDIA Isaac Sim, MuJoCo) to produce quantitative safety evidence and sim-to-real validation.

The position proposes and leads independent research goals within the scope of the lab's projects, coordinates student team members, and publishes at leading venues.

Your core responsibilities will include

• Build digital twins of industrial work cells and automated assembly processes from CAD, point clouds, and video, and maintain simulation-ready asset and layout libraries with controlled variation.
• Develop scenario generation pipelines that turn incident reports, safety standards, and recorded human motion into simulation scenarios, including procedural generation of long-tail and safety-critical cases.
• Run simulation-based evaluation of robot policies (classical, RL, and VLA/VLM controllers): define safety metrics (separation distance, contact speed and force, near-misses), apply importance sampling to find rare failures, and validate sim-to-real transfer on lab robot platforms.
• Propose and lead independent research goals within the scope of the lab's projects; coordinate and direct the work of student researchers; co-write papers, documentation, and progress reports; present at national and international conferences.
• Other duties as assigned.

Additional information

Flexibility, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. Inclusion, collaboration and cultural sensitivity are valued competencies at CMU. Therefore, we are in search of a team member who is able to effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

Qualifications

• Master's degree preferred.
• 5-8 years of experience.
• Experience with robot simulation (Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, or game engines), 3D scene and digital-twin construction, machine learning systems, and research project leadership strongly preferred.
• A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Requirements

• Successful background check.

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Pay and benefits

Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance.

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!

For a comprehensive overview of the benefits available, explore our Benefits page.

At Carnegie Mellon, we value the whole package when extending offers of employment. Beyond credentials, we evaluate the role and responsibilities, your valuable work experience, and the knowledge gained through education and training. We appreciate your unique skills and the perspective you bring. Your journey with us is about more than just a job; it's about finding the perfect fit for your professional growth and personal aspirations.

Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!

• Location
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Job Function
• Engineering, Research and Project Scientists
• Position Type
• Staff - Fixed Term (Fixed Term)
• Full Time/Part time
• Full time
• Pay Basis

Salary

More Information

• Please visit " Why Carnegie Mellon " to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.
• Click here to view a listing of employee benefits
• Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.
• Statement of Assurance