Research Scientist Intern, State Estimation for Dexterous Manipulation (PhD)

At Reality Labs Research, our goal is to explore, innovate and design novel interfaces and hardware for the next generation of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences. We are driving research towards a vision of natural, seamless experiences in XR environments that are effective, enjoyable, and functionally indistinguishable from those in the real world. As a Research Scientist Intern, you will work at the intersection of representation learning, physics-based estimation, and robotic manipulation. Your primary focus will be on developing latent space representations of object physical state with learned, high-dimensional embeddings that can capture time-varying object properties during dexterous manipulation. You will design experiments to validate these representations and demonstrate their value in practical multi-sensory setup and applications. Our internships are twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) weeks long and we have various start dates throughout the year.
Research Scientist Intern, State Estimation for Dexterous Manipulation (PhD) Responsibilities
Design and implement latent space representations for object physical state during robotics manipulation tasks that go beyond fixed parameter sets.
Design and execute controlled experiments to validate the representation: measuring adaptation speed, property decoding fidelity, and downstream control performance against baselines (no object state, explicit physical parameters, raw sensor history).
Benchmark the latent state representation on practical dexterous manipulation tasks.
Collaborate with researchers and cross-functional partners including communicating research plans, progress, and results.
Showcase the value in simulated or physical demos.

Minimum Qualifications:

Currently has or is in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. degree in Robotics, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or relevant technical field
Strong background in representation learning, generative models, or neural implicit representations (e.g., Gaussian splatting, NeRF, structured latent variable models)
Experience with physics-based estimation, state estimation, or system identification in robotic or dynamical systems (e.g. Bayesian filtering, online adaptation, or meta-learning for system identification)

Experience with Python and Py Torch:

Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with tactile sensing, force/torque sensors, or robot hand manipulation
Familiarity with model-based control (MPC), reinforcement learning, or imitation learning for manipulation
Experience with Bayesian filtering, online adaptation, or meta-learning for system identification
Experience with experimental design and statistical evaluation of robotic systems
Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment
Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, as well as first-authored publications at leading workshops or conferences such as Robotics (RSS, ICRA, IROS, CoRL, T-RO, IJRR), Machine Learning (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, JMLR), and Computer Vision (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, TPAMI), or similar
Intent to return to the degree program after the completion of the internship/co-op

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and Whats App further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
For those who live in or expect to work from California if hired for this position, please click here for additional information.
United States of America: $7,650/month to $12,134/month + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

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