Senior Research Scientist: Dynamics and Control

Senior Research Scientist: Dynamics and Control About the Role Holiday Robotics Research Inc. is the US subsidiary of Holiday Robotics, the fastest-growing robotics company in South Korea. We build our systems entirely from scratch - hardware, firmware, low-level controllers, simulators, and end-user software - all in-house, with the goal of freeing humans from tedious, dangerous, and repetitive tasks. We are looking for a Senior Research Scientist to drive research in the dynamics and control of dexterous, contact-rich manipulation. Your primary role is to design control algorithms that enable our robot to interact with physical objects, transitioning your research into real-world deployment for highly adaptable tasks such as assembly, object transport, and complex bimanual manipulation. You will design and implement bimanual manipulation algorithms for our mobile-based humanoid robot, Friday, using multi-fingered hands, and develop the end-to-end pipeline spanning perception, grasping, trajectory optimization, motion planning, and control. Working closely with the hardware, firmware, and control teams on exact modeling and system identification, you will build highly accurate digital twins in our in-house simulator and run rigorous, iterative testing across both simulation and the real world, collaborating with the machine learning teams to train and deploy robust models. Key Areas Bimanual manipulation Multi-fingered hands Contact-rich control Trajectory optimization System identification Digital twins Sim-to-real Required Qualifications BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related quantitative field. 7+ years of experience (or 5+ years with an advanced degree) in robotics, with a strong emphasis on the dynamics and control of physical robotic arms - both custom-built and commercially available systems. Deep theoretical and applied understanding of rigid body mechanics and dynamics, including differentiable forward/inverse kinematics, analytic/geometric Jacobians, and screw/wrench formulations. Strong background in motion planning, control theory, and optimization, prioritizing mathematical exactness for the governing physical equations. Proficiency in modern, AI-assisted coding practices - using tools like Claude and Codex to rapidly write, debug, and optimize code, accelerating the transition from theoretical research to real-robot deployment. Preferred Qualifications Experience applying reinforcement learning (RL) or generative AI models to robotic manipulators. Experience designing and implementing vision-to-servo pipelines that perform under challenging lighting and occlusion. Experience bridging the sim-to-real gap by validating physical models in real-world environments. Experience in bimanual manipulation, including object handovers, dual-arm coordination, and force/wrench control. What We Offer Base salary range: $200,000 – $250,000 USD annually, commensurate with experience and technical proficiency. Competitive equity packages in a rapidly growing, well-funded startup. 100% employer-covered health, dental, and vision insurance (full-network PPO). Relocation stipend for out-of-state candidates. #J-18808-Ljbffr Holiday Robotics Inc.