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Amazon Science Community and Machine Learning University call for proposals - Spring 2022

Making Amazon the best place in the world to do customer-obsessed science and engineering

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About this CFP

The Amazon Science Community and Machine Learning University teams are committed to making Amazon the best place in the world to do customer-obsessed science and engineering. Our programs, including onboarding bootcamps, mentorship programs, and instructor-led classes, help Amazon’s scientists and engineers do their best work. We aim to advance the state of the art in the design and execution of these programs. We are seeking to fund economics and social science research on the following topics:

  • Scientific productivity metrics – high quality science can take years to develop and have a customer impact; how can we know in the meantime if a research team is flourishing or floundering?
  • Scientific impact metrics – scientific work not only operates on long timelines, it has a cumulative effect.  One research paper may not get turned into a product or service, but it can serve as critical inspiration for the next research paper that does.  How can we assess the impact of a given research project, team, or individual, beyond basic tools like citation and patent metrics?
  • Team-based research success factors – impactful science is increasingly done by teams; research teams to create the science, and engineering teams to implement scientific solutions on behalf of customers.  What are the most critical factors that cause a team to have scientific success, and what mechanisms can influence them?
  • Individual-based research success factors – what are the key factors to individual scientific success, and which of these are a product of the institutional environment?  How can we optimize the physical and social environment to allow scientists to do their best work?
  • Educational design – what drives success in technical courses when presented in-person, live remote, or self-paced?  What drives students to choose one option or the other, and how can we leverage hybrid formats to bring together the strengths of each of these?  What are the data-driven best practices for online education, particularly with regards to recent shifts in working practices?  How do we measure practical success when teaching scientific knowledge at scale?

Timeline

Submission period: June 3 - July 8, 2022

Decision letters will be sent out December 2022

Award details

Selected Principal Investigators (PIs) may receive the following:

  • Unrestricted funds, no more than $80,000 USD
  • AWS Promotional Credits, no more than $20,000 USD
  • Training resources, including AWS tutorials and hands-on sessions with Amazon scientists and engineers

Awards are structured as one-year unrestricted gifts. The budget should include a list of expected costs specified in USD, and should not include administrative overhead costs. The final award amount will be determined by the awards panel.

Eligibility requirements

Please refer to the ARA Program rules on the FAQ page.

Proposal requirements

Proposals should be prepared according to the proposal template.

PIs should either include plans for open source contributions or state that they do not plan to make any open source contributions (data or code) under the proposed effort.

Selection criteria

ARA will make the funding decisions based on the potential impact to the research community and quality of the scientific content.

Expectations from recipients

To the extent deemed reasonable, Award recipients should acknowledge the support from ARA. Award recipients will inform ARA of publications, presentations, code and data releases, blogs/social media posts, and other speaking engagements referencing the results of the supported research or the Award. Award recipients are expected to provide updates and feedback to ARA via surveys or reports on the status of their research. Award recipients will have an opportunity to work with ARA on an informational statement about the awarded project that may be used to generate visibility for their institutions and ARA.

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Applied Scientist II, Reinforcement Learning
US, MA, N.reading
Amazon is seeking exceptional talent to help develop the next generation of advanced robotics systems that will transform automation at Amazon's scale. We're building revolutionary robotic systems that combine cutting-edge AI, sophisticated control systems, and advanced mechanical design to create adaptable automation solutions capable of working safely alongside humans in dynamic environments. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of robotics and automation at an unprecedented scale, working with world-class teams pushing the boundaries of what's possible in robotic dexterous manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction. This role presents an opportunity to shape the future of robotics through innovative applications of deep learning and large language models. At Amazon we leverage advanced robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to solve complex operational challenges at an unprecedented scale. Our fleet of robots operates across hundreds of facilities worldwide, working in sophisticated coordination to fulfill our mission of customer excellence. The ideal candidate will contribute to research that bridges the gap between theoretical advancement and practical implementation in robotics. You will be part of a team that's revolutionizing how robots learn, adapt, and interact with their environment. Join us in building the next generation of intelligent robotics systems that will transform the future of automation and human-robot collaboration. Key job responsibilities - Design and implement whole body control methods for balance, locomotion, and dexterous manipulation - Utilize state-of-the-art in methods in learned and model-based control - Create robust and safe behaviors for different terrains and tasks - Implement real-time controllers with stability guarantees - Collaborate effectively with multi-disciplinary teams to co-design hardware and algorithms for loco-manipulation - Mentor junior engineer and scientists
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Senior Applied Scientist, Insights, Prime Video
GB, London
Come build the future of entertainment with us. Are you interested in shaping the future of movies and television? Do you want to define the next generation of how and what Amazon customers are watching? Prime Video is a premium streaming service that offers customers a vast collection of TV shows and movies - all with the ease of finding what they love to watch in one place. We offer customers thousands of popular movies and TV shows including Amazon Originals and exclusive licensed content to exciting live sports events. We also offer our members the opportunity to subscribe to add-on channels which they can cancel at anytime and to rent or buy new release movies and TV box sets on the Prime Video Store. Prime Video is a fast-paced, growth business - available in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. The team works in a dynamic environment where innovating on behalf of our customers is at the heart of everything we do. If this sounds exciting to you, please read on. The Insights team is looking for an Applied Scientist for our London office experienced in generative AI and large models. This is a wide impact role working with development teams across the UK, India, and the US. This greenfield project will deliver features that reduce the operational load for internal Prime Video builders and for this, you will need to develop personalized recommendations for their services. You will have strong technical ability, excellent teamwork and communication skills, and a strong motivation to deliver customer value from your research. Our position offers opportunities to grow your technical and non-technical skills and make a global impact immediately. Key job responsibilities - Develop machine learning algorithms for high-scale recommendations problems - Rapidly design, prototype and test many possible hypotheses in a high-ambiguity environment, making use of both quantitative analysis and business judgement - Collaborate with software engineers to integrate successful experimental results into Prime Video wide processes - Communicate results and insights to both technical and non-technical audiences, including through presentations and written reports A day in the life You will lead the design of machine learning models that scale to very large quantities of data across multiple dimensions. You will embody scientific rigor, designing and executing experiments to demonstrate the technical effectiveness and business value of your methods. You will work alongside other scientists and engineering teams to deliver your research into production systems. About the team Our team owns Prime Video observability features for development teams. We consume PBs of data daily which feed into multiple observability features focussed on reducing the customer impact time.
Manager, Applied Science, Alexa AI
IN, KA, Bengaluru
The AURORA: Alexa Understanding, Runtime, ORchestration, and Applied sciences org is looking for an Applied Science Manager with a background in Natural Language Processing, Machine/Deep Learning, and Large Language Models (LLMs). You will be working with a team of Applied Scientists to enhance existing features and explore new possibilities with LLM empowerment. You will own high visibility programs with broad visibility and global impact. You will interact with a cross-functional team of Science, Product, and Engineering leaders. We are looking for an Applied Science Manager who will play a key role in the next generation of AI powered Conversational Assistants. Core Leadership & Team Management * Lead and manage applied scientists working on conversational AI capabilities across the full Alexa+ agent execution path * Build and develop high-performing science teams focused on understanding, reasoning, evaluation, and runtime systems * Foster cross-functional collaboration between science and engineering teams to deliver both customer-facing (CX) and developer-facing (DX) experiences Platform & Innovation * Develop modular, reusable platforms that enable 1P and 3P engineers and scientists to accelerate innovation * Transform how builders create conversational AI solutions at scale * Drive evaluation tooling and assessment frameworks to measure conversational experience quality Cross-Organizational Collaboration * Partner with teams across the organization to align goals and accelerate delivery * Navigate organizational changes and simplify interactions between components and teams * Establish clear communication channels and workflows across reporting lines Strategic Impact * Contribute to the team's mission of being the "AI runtime backbone and horizontal intelligence team" for Alexa * Balance advancing research with delivering robust, scalable production solutions * Drive both innovation velocity and operational excellence simultaneously Key job responsibilities * Lead and manage a team of Applied and Data scientists responsible for building and enhancing capabilities for Alexa+ * Collaborate with cross-functional teams to build methods to align Amazon’s LLMs with human preferences. * Identify and prioritize research opportunities that have the potential to significantly impact our AI systems. * Mentor and guide team members to achieve their career goals and objectives. * Communicate research findings and progress to senior leadership and stakeholders. * Rapidly experiment and drive productisation to deliver customer impact. * Drive academic partnership with top tier Indian university as part of the org’s AI/ML Center initiative. * Participate in and drive science publications in peer-reviewed venues of repute. About the team Aurora is the AI runtime backbone and horizontal intelligence team that powers Alexa's core infrastructure, AI capabilities, and specialized conversational models. We revolutionize conversational AI through three core pillars: architecting mission-critical AI runtime systems, advancing science solutions that connect key conversational capabilities, and transforming how builders create at scale. We empower 1P and 3P engineers and scientists worldwide with modular, reusable platforms that accelerate innovation—while delivering accurate, responsive, and reliable conversational experiences to millions of end-users through operational excellence at scale.
Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands
US, NY, New York
The Sponsored Products and Brands team at Amazon Ads is re-imagining the advertising landscape through novel generative AI technologies, revolutionizing how millions of customers discover products and engage with brands across Amazon.com and beyond. We are at the forefront of re-inventing advertising experiences, bridging human creativity with artificial intelligence to transform every aspect of the advertising lifecycle from ad creation and optimization to performance analysis and customer insights. We are a passionate group of innovators dedicated to developing responsible and intelligent AI technologies that balance the needs of advertisers, enhance the shopping experience, and strengthen the marketplace ecosystem. If you're energized by solving complex challenges and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI, join us in shaping the future of advertising. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist on our team, you will * Develop AI solutions for Sponsored Brands advertiser and shopper experiences. Build recommendation systems that leverage generative models to develop and improve campaigns. * You invent and design new solutions for scientifically-complex problem areas and/or opportunities in new business initiatives. * You drive or heavily influence the design of scientifically-complex software solutions or systems, for which you personally write significant parts of the critical scientific novelty. You take ownership of these components, providing a system-wide view and design guidance. These systems or solutions can be brand new or evolve from existing ones. * Define a long-term science vision and roadmap for our Sponsored Brands advertising business, driven from our customers' needs, translating that direction into specific plans for applied scientists and engineering teams. This role combines science leadership, organizational ability, technical strength, product focus, and business understanding. * Work closely with engineers and product managers to design, implement and launch AI solutions end-to-end; * Design and conduct A/B experiments to evaluate proposed solutions based on in-depth data analyses; * Think big about the arc of development of Gen AI over a multi-year horizon, and identify new opportunities to apply these technologies to solve real-world problems * Effectively communicate technical and non-technical ideas with teammates and stakeholders; * Translate complex scientific challenges into clear and impactful solutions for business stakeholders. * Mentor and guide junior scientists, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture. * Stay up-to-date with advancements and the latest modeling techniques in the field About the team We are on a mission to make Amazon the best in class destination for shoppers to discover, engage, and purchase relevant products, from brands that are relevant to them. In this role, you will design and implement Gen AI solutions that help millions of advertisers create more effective ad campaigns with intelligent recommendations, while improving the overall experience at Amazon's global scale.
Sr. Thermal Scientist, Hardware - Product Integrity
CN, 31, Shanghai
You will be working with a unique and gifted team developing exciting products for consumers. The team is a multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists engaged in a fast paced mission to deliver new products. The team faces a challenging task of balancing cost, schedule, and performance requirements. You should be comfortable collaborating in a fast-paced and often uncertain environment, and contributing to innovative solutions, while demonstrating leadership, technical competence, and meticulousness. Your deliverables will include development of thermal solutions, concept design, feature development, product architecture and system validation through to manufacturing release. You will support creative developments through application of analysis and testing of complex electronic assemblies using advanced simulation and experimentation tools and techniques. Key job responsibilities * Evaluate and optimize thermal solution requirements of consumer electronic products * Use simulation tools like Star-CCM+ or FloTherm XT/EFD for analysis and design of products * Validate design modifications for thermal concerns using simulation and actual prototypes * Establish temperature thresholds for user comfort level and component level considering reliability requirements * Have intimate knowledge of various materials and heat spreaders solutions to resolve thermal issues * Use of programming languages like Python and Matlab for analytical/statistical analyses and automation * Collaborate as part of device team to iterate and optimize design parameters of enclosures and structural parts to establish and deliver project performance objectives * Design and execute of tests using statistical tools to validate analytical models, identify risks and assess design margins * Create and present analytical and experimental results * Develop and apply design guidelines based on project learnings
Sr. Economist, Advertising Incrementality Measurement
US, NY, New York
Do you want to lead the Ads industry and redefine how we measure the effectiveness of Amazon Ads business? Are you passionate about causal inference, Deep Learning/DNN, raising the science bar, and connecting leading-edge science research to Amazon-scale implementation? If so, come join Amazon Ads to be an Economist leader within our Advertising Incrementality Measurement science team! Our work builds the foundations for providing customer-facing experimentation tools, furthering internal research & development on Econometrics, and building out Amazon's advertising measurement offerings. Incrementality is a lynchpin for the next generation of Amazon Advertising measurement solutions and this role will play a key role in the release and expansion of these offerings. Key job responsibilities As an Economist leader within the Advertising Incrementality Measurement (AIM) science team, you are responsible for defining and executing on key workstreams within our overall causal measurement science vision. In particular, you can lead the development of experimental methodologies to measure ad effectiveness, and also build observational models that lay the foundations for understanding the impact of individual ad touchpoints for billions of daily ad interactions. You will work on a team of Applied Scientists, Economists, and Data Scientists, alongside a dedicated Engineering team, to work backwards from customer needs and translate product ideas into concrete science deliverables. You will be a thought leader for inventing scalable causal measurement solutions that support highly accurate and actionable insights--from defining and executing hundreds of thousands of RCTs, to developing an exciting science R&D agenda. You will be working with massive data and industry-leading partner scientists, while also interfacing with leadership to define our future vision. Your work will help shape the future of Amazon Advertising. About the team AIM is a cross disciplinary team of engineers, product managers, economists, data scientists, and applied scientists with a charter to build scientifically-rigorous causal inference methodologies at scale. Our job is to help customers cut through the noise of the modern advertising landscape and understand what actions, behaviors, and strategies actually have a real, measurable impact on key outcomes. The data we produce becomes the effective ground truth for advertisers and partners making decisions affecting millions in advertising spend.
Research Scientist II - AMZ9674001
US, CA, San Francisco
MULTIPLE POSITIONS AVAILABLE Employer: AMAZON DEVELOPMENT CENTER U.S., INC., Offered Position: Research Scientist II Job Location: San Francisco, California Job Number: AMZ9674001 Position Responsibilities: Design research studies to obtain scientific information. Develop theories or models of physical phenomena encountered in quantum computing, superconducting qubit device physics, materials or process development and characterization. Collaborate with others to determine design specifications, including of superconducting quantum processor chips, microwave chip packages, and associated electrical and mechanical components. Develop scientific or mathematical models to predict physical device behavior and performance, and verify the implementation of computational models. Apply mathematical principles or statistical approaches to solve problems, for example to validate modeling predictions under experimental uncertainty using statistical methods. Operate laboratory or field equipment and scientific instrumentation for device fabrication, device characterization, or advanced materials research. Develop new algorithms or methods for designing, simulating, or measuring quantum computers. Develop performance metrics or standards related to quantum information technology. Recommend technical design or process changes to improve quality or performance of superconducting quantum processors and efficiency of their design, manufacture, and testing. Collaborate on research activities with scientists or technical specialists. Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations and present research results to others. 40 hours / week, 8:00am-5:00pm, Salary Range $168,126/year to $212,800/year. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. Amazon.com is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action Employer – Minority / Female / Disability / Veteran / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation.#0000
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