Expert Scientist, Reinforcement Learning

Key Skills

Confluence, Git, GitLab, JIRA, Neural Networks, PyTorch, R Programming, TensorFlow

Job Description

Your New Role and Team

Sanctuary–a multi award-winning LinkedIn Top Startup company–is seeking an Expert Scientist of Reinforcement Learning (RL) to join our team in engineering and innovating unique robotic manipulation tasks.

As our Expert Scientist, your role will involve choosing the most cutting-edge methods, creating training and data collection systems, overseeing the evaluation of these algorithms in simulated environments, and implementing them on our robots in real-world situations. You will also enjoy the exclusive chance to make a meaningful impact by working with novel haptic and proprioceptive sensing techniques, thanks to our in-house robot resources.

Success Criteria

• Create, develop, and enhance cutting-edge RL algorithms and evaluate their performance in practical applications
• Stay current with the latest developments in RL techniques and their application in robotics
• Identify, communicate, and lead research initiatives that show promise to the wider ML team
• Discover strategies for enhancing current RL learning processes, considering key performance metrics like sample efficiency, speed, computational resources, and scalability
• Devising RL training and data collection pipelines to expedite implementation on physical robots
• Collaborate within a diverse team to devise innovative algorithms and investigate the root causes of errors in existing implementations

Your Experience

Qualifications

• PhD. in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or equivalent practical background in Reinforcement Learning
• 5+ years of practical experience applying various Reinforcement Learning methods, with focus on robotics in the real world
• 3+ years of hands-on experience implementing and deploying robotic manipulation tasks, both in simulation and on physical robots
• 3+ years of practical experience in Offline Reinforcement Learning, including algorithm development, implementation, and optimization for real-world use
• Proven expertise in continual learning, employing adaptive model training to improve long-term performance and accuracy
• 4+ years experience in developing and optimizing large-batch parallel simulations for Reinforcement Learning
• Proven expertise in sim-to-real transfer
• Experience in transitioning Machine Learning research and trained models into real-world production
• Active involvement in integrating Machine Learning models into a robotics platform
• A track record of publishing research in esteemed AI conferences such as Neurips, ICLR, ICML, and CORL

Skills

• Development with Python 3.6 or later
• Working knowledge of PyTorch and/or TensorFlow
• Familiarity with ROS2
• Expertise in use of Reinforcement Learning principles and their application
• Experience with Atlassian tools; Jira, Confluence, or equivalent i.e. GitLab

Traits

• Above all else, a consistently positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever it takes to create robust solutions to complex problems
• Strong leadership skills in organizing R&D work for ML projects
• Eager to take on new challenges with tenacity and positivity
• Patience, persistence, and attention to detail when resolving performance issues
• Enthusiasm for bringing human-like intelligence to machines
• Ability to drive development of new functionalities from concept to production
• Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast paced environment

Entry-rate Annual Salary: $150,000 CAD and up

Compensation:

At Sanctuary, we provide above average total compensation that includes three components: salary, equity, and benefits. Our goal is to ensure fairness in pay and we strive to make the overall package highly competitive with current market rates.

Equity:

Equity will play a significant role in the total compensation for this role. Our goal is to provide a generous equity compensation package, exceeding what is typically offered by companies of our size. The specific amount of equity will be communicated to candidates upon receiving an offer.

Benefits - Canadian permanent employees are eligible for:

• Medical Insurance
• Dental
• Vision
• Hearing Aids
• Life Insurance and AD&D

• Prescriptions
• Paramedicals
• Hospital
• Travel

 $500 per calendar year Healthcare Spending Account

 Unique complimentary beverages and snacks at our head office

The compensation and benefits details provided for this role in Vancouver, BC are based on Sanctuary's market evaluation and may be subject to changes in the future. Your pay within the specified range will depend on various job-related factors, such as your past work experience, relevant education, and performance during interviews or work trials. Salary minimum provided is an entry-level rate for this role, as a requirement of the Pay Transparency Act in British Columbia.

** Please do not submit any information that is confidential to you or any third party. By submitting an application, you acknowledge and agree that your application does not contain any information that is confidential to you or any third party. **

Working at Sanctuary

Sanctuary is an equal opportunity employer; employment with Sanctuary is governed based on skills, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any way by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. In 2023, Sanctuary moved into a state-of-the-art office facility and has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Startup company.

Benefits

Full time (non co-op) employees enjoy medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, wellness programs, stock options, paid time off (3 weeks vacation accrued annually, 12 paid holidays, 5 days of annual sick leave, and parental leave), scheduling and worksite flexibility by role, and more.

About Sanctuary

Founded in 2018 by Geordie Rose, Suzanne Gildert, Olivia Norton, and Ajay Agrawal, Sanctuary is a Vancouver, Canada-based company. Sanctuary is on a mission to create the world’s first human-like intelligence in general-purpose robots that will help us work more safely, efficiently, and sustainably. And in the not-too-distant future, help us explore, settle, and prosper in outer space.

Members of the Sanctuary team founded D-Wave (a pioneer in the quantum computing industry), Kindred (first use of reinforcement learning in a production robot), and the Creative Destruction Lab (pioneered a revolutionary method for the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind). The team has experience launching market-defining innovations rooted in previously unsolved and deep scientific problems.