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Frequently asked questions

In addition to the FAQs below, please view the ARA Program Rules.
General
General
What research areas does ARA fund?
ARA funds in a variety of research areas relevant to Amazon, such as applied machine learning, automated reasoning, computer vision, fairness in artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms and theory, natural language processing, robotics, security, sustainability and more. Please refer to the detailed CFPs for more information.
What types of proposals does ARA fund?
The Amazon Research Awards (ARA) program funds academic research and related contributions to open-source projects by top academic researchers around the world.
What is the structure of an ARA award? Can it be extended?
Awards are structured as one-time unrestricted gifts to the Principal Investigator's academic institution or organization, and can include cash and AWS Promotional Credits. Though this funding is not extendable, applicants can submit new proposals for subsequent calls.
Applying for an award
How do I apply?
Please follow the instructions on the specific CFP you are applying to.
Who is eligible to apply?
Researchers from around the world are encouraged to apply. Please refer to the ARA Program Rules for eligibility.
What are the timelines for proposal submissions and decisions?
We evaluate research proposals and provide decisions via email to all applicants approximately three months after the submission deadline. Please follow the timeline on the specific CFP you are applying to.
What is an Amazon contact and is one required to apply?
An Amazon contact is an Amazon employee who is aware of the proposal, familiar with the Principal Investigator’s research and may be willing to serve as an Amazon research contact for the proposal, if it is selected. An Amazon contact is not required to submit a proposal. While the ARA team is not able to provide an Amazon contact for the PI prior to submission, all funded proposals will be assigned an Amazon research contact by the review panel.
Is it possible to have multiple faculty members on a single proposal?
Each proposal application should be submitted by a single faculty member, who will serve as the Primary PI. One co-PI per proposal can be included in the application form. ARA defines a co-PI as an individual equally accountable for research performance and management of funding. Formal co-PI’s must be a full-time faculty/permanent researcher and meet ARA eligibility requirements. Other members of the research team can and should be mentioned within the proposal.
Is it possible for one faculty member to be on multiple grants?
Principle Investigators can only submit one proposal at each deadline. A Primary PI can be listed as a co-PI on an additional proposal, but must withdraw if the other proposal is selected. It’s also possible that another CFP may decide to fund your research, if it meets the scope of that CFP.
What budget expenses should I include in my proposal submission?
A proposed cash budget is generally expected to support one to two graduate students (or a post-doctoral researcher) for one year, plus some conference travel and equipment. The budget should include a list of expected costs specified in USD and is not required to include administrative overhead costs. The final award amount will be determined by the awards panel. Please refer to the CFP for specific budget guidelines.


Additionally, proposals may include a request for AWS Promotional Credits1. Proposals should include the requested amount, a short justification, a list of AWS products and any AWS Public Datasets to be used in the proposed research. The final amount of free AWS Promotional Credits will be determined by the awards panel.


1. Please note that your use of any AWS Promotional Credit is subject to the general AWS Customer Agreement terms or other terms governing your use of AWS Services (“Agreement”). In the event of a conflict between these Rules and the Agreement, the Agreement will control with respect to your access to and use of the Service Offerings. Additionally, any use of AWS Promotional Credit will be in accordance with and subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions. In the event of a conflict between these Rules and the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions, the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions will govern with respect to any AWS Promotional Credit you receive.
Proposal review process
Who evaluates the proposals and when will I know the outcome?
Project proposals are reviewed by an internal awards panel and the results are communicated approximately three months after the submission deadline. We will communicate the decision to the primary PI listed on each proposal, and will make an announcement on the ARA website. We expect the primary PI to notify the rest of their team about funding decisions.
Will I be able to find out why my proposal was not accepted?
Unfortunately, due to the number of proposals we receive, we are unable to provide detailed reasons a proposal was not accepted.
Award information
What happens after the ARA recipients are announced?
Each project will be assigned an Amazon research contact. The researchers are encouraged to maintain regular communication with their Amazon contact to discuss ongoing research and project progress. We also encourage publishing the outcome of the project and committing any related code to open-source code repositories.
Does Amazon retain any intellectual property and licensing on the material developed during the time period that a student is funded?
ARA funding is distributed as unrestricted gifts to universities. As such, the funding does not result in any transfer or license of any intellectual property rights. Please refer to the ARA Program Rules for more information.
Do recipients have access to Amazon data?
Recipients will have access to Amazon datasets that are already public, such as the Amazon Bin Image Dataset, but not to non-public data.
Does Amazon accept any legal obligation with respect to submitted proposals?
We are happy to review non-confidential project proposals. As such, project proposals shall not contain any confidential information (please do not include any information in your proposal that you or others consider confidential). Amazon does not accept any legal obligation (whether of confidentiality, compensation, return or otherwise) with respect to any proposals. Amazon reserves the right to implement similar ideas in the future without restriction or obligation. Please refer to the ARA Program Rules for more information.
Other
How can I contact the ARA team?
We provide limited email support via research-awards@amazon.com. Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website.
How can I find out about future ARA calls for proposals?
Please email research-awards@amazon.com to be added to the CFP email announcement.
Is the AWS Machine Learning Research Awards (MLRA) part of ARA?
Yes, in 2020 the two programs merged and MLRA now funds awards through ARA, under the AWS AI call for proposal.
Does Amazon provide any other funding opportunities?
Yes, please visit the collaborations page for more information.

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Applied Scientist III, Amazon - Ads Nova
US, NY, New York
Are you passionate about solving big problems from ground-up? Do you enjoy building new state-of-the-art products at internet scale? Come lead the innovation in this startup team, vertical ad products. This is a green field problem without a known answer or a pattern to follow. We have ambitious vision to simplify full funnel advertising solutions, at scale, with specialized agentic AI-powered models and diversify the demand to strategic verticals including finserv, autos, locals.. etc. We are seeking an experienced Applied Scientist to drive innovation in our Ads Foundational Model. In this individual contributor role, you will apply advanced machine learning techniques to improve advertiser performance and customer experience. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist on this team, you will: 1. Develop and drive the science strategy for Ads Foundational Model (Ads-FM), aligning it with the program's objectives and overall business goals. 2. Identify high-impact opportunities within Ads-FM program and lead the ideation, planning, and execution of science initiatives to address them. 3. Build and deploy machine learning models using computer vision, natural language processing, and deep learning to evaluate and enhance ad effectiveness. 4. Develop algorithms that extract meaningful signals from image, video, and audio content to predict and improve customer engagement 5. Leverage Amazon's extensive data repository to create predictive models that generate actionable recommendations for more compelling ad creative 6. Collaborate with business leaders and cross-functional teams to implement ML-powered solutions 7. Contribute to the ML roadmap for the Ads-FM program through innovation and research.
Research Scientist II, Last Mile Science
IN, KA, Bangalore
Amazon’s Last Mile Team is looking for a passionate individual with strong optimization and analytical skills to join its Last Mile Science team in the endeavor of designing and improving the most complex planning of delivery network in the world. Last Mile builds global solutions that enable Amazon to attract an elastic supply of drivers, companies, and assets needed to deliver Amazon's and other shippers' volumes at the lowest cost and with the best customer delivery experience. Last Mile Science team owns the core decision models in the space of jurisdiction planning, delivery channel and modes network design, capacity planning for on the road and at delivery stations, routing inputs estimation and optimization. Our research has direct impact on customer experience, driver and station associate experience, Delivery Service Partner (DSP)’s success and the sustainable growth of Amazon. Optimizing the last mile delivery requires deep understanding of transportation, supply chain management, pricing strategies and forecasting. Only through innovative and strategic thinking, we will make the right capital investments in technology, assets and infrastructures that allows for long-term success. Our team members have an opportunity to be on the forefront of supply chain thought leadership by working on some of the most difficult problems in the industry with some of the best product managers, scientists, and software engineers in the industry. Key job responsibilities Candidates will be responsible for developing solutions to better manage and optimize delivery capacity in the last mile network. The successful candidate should have solid research experience in one or more technical areas of Operations Research or Machine Learning. These positions will focus on identifying and analyzing opportunities to improve existing algorithms and also on optimizing the system policies across the management of external delivery service providers and internal planning strategies. They require superior logical thinkers who are able to quickly approach large ambiguous problems, turn high-level business requirements into mathematical models, identify the right solution approach, and contribute to the software development for production systems. To support their proposals, candidates should be able to independently mine and analyze data, and be able to use any necessary programming and statistical analysis software to do so. Successful candidates must thrive in fast-paced environments, which encourage collaborative and creative problem solving, be able to measure and estimate risks, constructively critique peer research, and align research focuses with the Amazon's strategic needs. As a senior scientist, you will also help coach/mentor junior scientists in the team.
Principal Economist, Stores Economics and Science
US, WA, Seattle
This role will contribute to developing the Economics and Science products and services in the Fee domain, with specialization in supply chain systems and fees. Through the lens of economics, you will develop causal links for how Amazon, Sellers and Customers interact. You will be a key and senior scientist, advising Amazon leaders how to price our services. You will work on developing frameworks and scaleable, repeatable models supporting optimal pricing and policy in the two-sided marketplace that is central to Amazon's business. The pricing for Amazon services is complex. You will partner with science and technology teams across Amazon including Advertising, Supply Chain, Operations, Prime, Consumer Pricing, and Finance. We are looking for an experienced Principal Economist to improve our understanding of seller Economics, enhance our ability to estimate the causal impact of fees, and work with partner teams to design pricing policy changes. In this role, you will provide guidance to scientists to develop econometric models to influence our fee pricing worldwide. You will lead the development of causal models to help isolate the impact of fee and policy changes from other business actions, using experiments when possible, or observational data when not. Key job responsibilities The ideal candidate will have extensive Economics knowledge, demonstrated strength in practical and policy relevant structural econometrics, strong collaboration skills, proven ability to lead highly ambiguous and large projects, and a drive to deliver results. They will work closely with Economists, Data / Applied Scientists, Strategy Analysts, Data Engineers, and Product leads to integrate economic insights into policy and systems production. Familiarity with systems and services that constitute seller supply chains is a plus but not required. About the team The Stores Economics and Sciences team is a central science team that supports Amazon's Retail and Supply Chain leadership. We tackle some of Amazon's most challenging economics and machine learning problems, where our mandate is to impact the business on massive scale.
Microwave Design Engineer, Amazon Center for Quantum Computing
US, CA, Pasadena
The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing in Pasadena, CA, is looking to hire an Applied Scientist specializing in the design of microwave components for use in cryogenic environments. Working alongside other scientists and engineers, you will design and validate hardware performing microwave signal conditioning at cryogenic temperatures for Amazon quantum processors. Working effectively within a cross-functional team environment is critical. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of hardware development from requirements development to validation. Diverse Experiences Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying. Work/Life Balance We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud. Inclusive Team Culture Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness. Mentorship and Career Growth We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional. Key job responsibilities Our scientists and engineers collaborate across diverse teams and projects to offer state of the art, cost effective solutions for the signal conditioning of Amazon quantum processor systems at cryogenic temperatures. You’ll bring a passion for innovation, collaboration, and mentoring to: Solve layered technical problems across our cryogenic signal chain. Develop requirements with key system stakeholders, including quantum device, test and measurement, hardware, and theory teams. Design, implement, test, deploy, and maintain innovative solutions that meet both performance and cost metrics. Research enabling technologies necessary for Amazon reach commercial viability in quantum computing . A day in the life As you research, design, and implement cryogenic microwave signal conditioning solutions, you will also: Participate in requirements, design, and test reviews. Work cross-functionally to help drive decisions using your unique technical background and skill set. Define and maintain standards for operational excellence. Work in a high-paced, startup-like environment where you are provided the resources to innovate quickly.
Quantum Research Engineer, Quantum Computing
US, CA, Pasadena
The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) team is looking for a passionate, talented, and inventive Research Engineer specializing in hardware design for cryogenic environments. The ideal candidate should have expertise in 3D CAD (SolidWorks), thermal and structural FEA (Ansys/COMSOL), hardware design for cryogenic applications, design for manufacturing, and mechanical engineering principles. The candidate must have demonstrated experience driving designs through full product development cycles (requirements, conceptual design, detailed design, manufacturing, integration, and testing). Candidates must also have a strong background in both cryogenic mechanical engineering theory and implementation. Working effectively within a cross-functional team environment is critical. Key job responsibilities The CQC collaborates across teams and projects to offer state-of-the-art, cost-effective solutions for scaling the signal delivery to quantum processor systems at cryogenic temperatures. Equally important is the ability to scale the thermal performance and improve EMI mitigation of the cryogenic environment. You will work on the following: - High density novel packaging solutions for quantum processor units - Cryogenic mechanical design for novel cryogenic signal conditioning sub-assemblies - Cryogenic mechanical design for signal delivery systems - Simulation-driven designs (shielding, filtering, etc.) to reduce sources of EMI within the qubit environment. - Own end-to-end product development through requirements, design reports, design reviews, assembly/testing documentation, and final delivery A day in the life As you design and implement cryogenic hardware solutions, from requirements definition to deployment, you will also: - Participate in requirements, design, and test reviews and communicate with internal stakeholders - Work cross-functionally to help drive decisions using your unique technical background and skill set - Refine and define standards and processes for operational excellence - Work in a high-paced, startup-like environment where you are provided the resources to innovate quickly About the team The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) is a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians, on a mission to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer. Inclusive Team Culture Here at Amazon, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness. Diverse Experiences Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying. Mentorship & Career Growth We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional. Work/Life Balance We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud. Export Control Requirement Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be either a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be able to obtain a US export license. If you are unsure if you meet these requirements, please apply and Amazon will review your application for eligibility.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Applied Scientist, Alexa AI
IT, Turin
As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, you will spearhead the advancement and deployment of state-of-the-art ML/RAG systems that revolutionize how millions of customers interact with Alexa. You'll leverage your expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and large language models to create reliable, scalable, high-performance products that set new standards in operational excellence. Working at the intersection of research and production, you'll translate latest AI innovations into customer-facing features that delight users daily. Your work will span the full ML lifecycle—from analyzing customer behavior patterns and building novel metrics for personal digital assistants, to deploying automated training pipelines and conducting rigorous A/B testing across diverse devices and endpoints. Collaborating closely with business, engineering, and science teams across Amazon, you'll lead high-visibility programs that automate workflows and deliver measurable customer impact. This role offers the unique opportunity to publish at top-tier conferences while seeing your innovations scale to one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. Key job responsibilities As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team: - You'll analyze and model customer behavior at scale, building novel metrics for personal digital assistants across diverse devices and endpoints. Your work will involve creating deep learning, policy-based learning, and machine learning algorithms that directly impact customer experiences, translating complex data patterns into actionable insights that drive product innovation. - Your technical leadership will extend to building and deploying automated model training and evaluation pipelines, implementing complex machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and conducting rigorous model and data analysis through online A/B testing. You'll research and implement novel approaches that push the boundaries of what's possible in conversational AI. - Beyond model development, you'll ensure operational excellence by taking ownership of production systems, including on-call responsibilities during peak and non-peak hours. Working alongside Software Development Engineers, you'll deploy fixes and handle high-severity issues, ensuring our ML systems maintain the reliability and performance that millions of Alexa customers depend on daily. A day in the life As an Applied Scientist in the Alexa AI team, your day will involve collaborating with talented engineers and scientists to build scalable solutions for our conversational assistant. You'll dive into data analysis, experiment with novel algorithms, and iterate on models based on real-time user feedback. Working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, you'll tackle complex technical challenges—from debugging production issues to presenting research findings to stakeholders. Your self-motivated approach will drive you to swiftly deliver impactful solutions while maintaining the high standards that define our mission to revolutionize user experiences for millions of customers. About the team The Alexa AI team develops the intelligence behind one of the world's most popular voice assistants, serving millions of customers globally. We're a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and researchers united by our mission to make Alexa more natural, helpful, and delightful. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in conversational AI—from natural language understanding to personalization at scale. Here, you'll work alongside world-class talent, publish at top-tier conferences, and see your innovations impact customers daily. We move fast, think big, and celebrate both successes and learnings.
Human-Robot Interaction Applied Scientist , Fauna
US, NY, New York
We are seeking a Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Applied Scientist to develop cutting-edge interactions that make robots feel alive, personal, and fun. In this role, you will focus on verbal and non-verbal conversational systems, social dynamics, memory, and long-term relationship formation between robots, their environments, and the people they interact with. Your contributions will be essential in advancing robotics by enabling expressive, socially intelligent, and trustworthy interactions between robots and humans. Key job responsibilities - Develop interactive systems that leverage large language models, multimodal inputs and outputs, reinforcement learning from human feedback, or other advanced techniques to achieve fluid, engaging, and socially appropriate robot behavior - Design and implement intelligent conversational systems that handle turn-taking, grounding, interruption, and incorporates context drawn from a robot's physical environment and shared history with a user - Integrate perceptual sensor streams including gaze, facial expression, gesture, posture, and more to understand social context and produce coherent, lifelike interactions. - Develop memory and personalization systems that allow robots to form lasting relationships with individual users, learn their environments, and adapt their behavior over weeks and months - Stay updated on advancements in HRI, NLP, multimodal AI, and cognitive and social science to apply cutting-edge techniques to robot interaction challenges - Lead technical projects from conception through production deployment - Mentor junior scientists and engineers - Bridge research initiatives with practical engineering implementation
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