Senior Scientist - Robot Perception: GE Vernova Advanced Research

Job Description Summary

GE Vernova’s researchers work on the advancement of Robot Perception technology for industrial domain, ultimately contributing to the Energy Transition by electrifying the world and decarbonizing the energy sector.

As a Senior Scientist in Robotic Perception, you will play a key role in solving challenging robot perception problems for various robotic platforms (i.e., manipulators, quadrupeds, etc.) in industrial settings. You will join a world‑class research team working on scene understanding, object manipulation, and vision foundation models. You will shape novel techniques to expand the ability for robots to effectively interact with the world. You will develop algorithms for robotic systems for various industrial domains including renewable energy, power generation, electric grids, and manufacturing. This will involve working on projects with GE Vernova’s business units and a wide array of fellow researchers across disciplines and domains. It will also include the opportunity to work on government‑sponsored, cutting‑edge research programs with GE Vernova’s external partners in academia and government. You will help drive the future of robotics research at GE Vernova.

As a GE Vernova accelerator, GE Vernova Advanced Research is driving strategy and leading research & development efforts to execute on the business’s mission to power the energy transition. We forge the partnerships and invent the technologies required to electrify and decarbonize for a zero‑carbon future.

Representing virtually every major scientific and engineering discipline, our researchers are collaborating with GE Vernova’s businesses, the U.S. government, and more than 420 technology partners to execute on 150+ energy‑focused projects. Collectively, these research programs and initiatives aim to solve near term technical challenges, deliver next generation product advances, and drive long term breakthrough innovation to enable more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy.

Impacts approaches, projects and programs in the functional area or affected business organization and ways of working. Impacts quality, efficiency and effectiveness of own team. Has significant input into priorities. Guided by professional practices and policies that are shaped by the role. The role has moderate autonomy, requiring high levels of operational judgment.

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities

• Embodied R&D: Develop perception modules specifically for industrial manipulators and mobile platforms, enabling robots to interpret and act within complex physical environments.
• Closed-Loop Autonomy: Create algorithms that bridge the gap between perception and motion (e.g., visual servoing, object-centric manipulation, and task-space control).
• Technical Leadership: Lead the development of high-quality, real-time code for shared robotic codebases, ensuring low-latency inference on edge-compute hardware.
• Scientific Contribution: Advance the state-of-the-art in robot-centric perception; create intellectual property via patents and publish peer-reviewed research in top-tier robotics/AI venues.

Position Requirements

• Education: PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Robotics, or related fields (focusing on embodied perception/manipulation); or MS + 2 years of professional experience.
• Technical Expertise: Demonstrated research experience in at least three of the following:
  • Action-Oriented Perception: Visual servoing, hand-eye coordination, and real-time state estimation for robot control.
  • Embodied AI: Development of foundation models, learned visual representations, or task-planning architectures for robot manipulation.
  • Multimodal Fusion: Integration of vision with proprioceptive, tactile, or force-torque sensing for physical interaction.
  • Spatial Interaction: Practical 3D geometry, projective geometry, and robot-to-camera extrinsic calibration.
  • Edge Inference: Deployment of perception models on robotic platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson/Orin) with strict latency and compute constraints.
• Development Proficiency: Strong programming skills in Python (with popular ML/Deep Learning frameworks) and C/C++.
• Compliance:
  • Legal authorization to work in the US is required (sponsorship for Master’s level employment visas is not available).
  • Must be 18 years or older; must be willing to work on-site in Niskayuna, NY.

Desired Characteristics

• Robotics Experience: Hands-on experience with physical robotic platforms (e.g., industrial manipulators, mobile bases, or quadrupeds).
• Applied Theory: Deep practical understanding of camera models and the underlying mathematics of spatial sensing in real-world environments.
• Innovative Mindset: Ability to creatively adapt SOTA open-source research to the constraints of industrial field services.
• Communication: Excellent ability to document technical research and communicate complex autonomous behaviors to non-roboticist stakeholders.

Note: We are interested in hiring across a range of experience levels. If you are interested in this role but feel your current experience level may be slightly under- or over-qualified, we still encourage you to apply. Our team prioritizes technical aptitude and a passion for solving complex, real-world problems, and we are committed to finding the right fit for your skills within our organization.

GE Vernova offers a great work environment, professional development, challenging careers, and competitive compensation. GE Vernova is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes

For candidates applying to a U.S. based position, the pay range for this position is between $113,200.00 and $188,800.00. The Company pays a geographic differential of 110%, 120% or 130% of salary in certain areas. The specific pay offered may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate’s experience, education, and skill set. Bonus eligibility: discretionary annual bonus.This posting is expected to remain open for at least seven days after it was posted on July 24, 2026. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; access to Health Coach from GE Vernova, a 24/7 nurse-based resource; and access to the Employee Assistance Program, providing 24/7 confidential assessment, counseling and referral services. Retirement benefits include the GE Vernova Retirement Savings Plan, a tax-advantaged 401(k) savings opportunity with company matching contributions and company retirement contributions, as well as access to Fidelity resources and financial planning consultants. Other benefits include tuition assistance, adoption assistance, paid parental leave, disability benefits, life insurance, 12 paid holidays, and permissive time off.