AI Research Engineer - Robotics

The role

You will design, train, and deploy RL-based controllers for robots in complex, unstructured, and dynamic real-world environments. You will own the full pipeline from simulation to deployment to ensure learned policies are robust and efficient under hardware constraints.

What you will do

• Design, train and deploy RL-based controllers for robots
• Enable robots to perceive and understand surroundings by fusing sensory inputs
• Own the full pipeline from simulation to deployment
• Ensure learned policies are robust, efficient, and ready for real-world operation
• Report and present research findings clearly and efficiently
• Re-implement and extend state-of-the-art papers

Required qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Robotics, Machine Learning, Control Engineering, or a closely related field
• Hands-on experience training and deploying RL-based controllers on real robotic hardware
• Familiarity with modern RL techniques for continuous control (PPO, SAC, TD3, model-based RL, hierarchical RL, sim-to-real transfer, domain randomisation, curriculum learning)
• Solid understanding of robot dynamics, kinematics, and classical control theory (PID, model predictive control, trajectory optimisation)
• Proficiency in building and working with physics-based simulators (MuJoCo, Isaac Gym/Isaac Lab, PyBullet, Gazebo)
• Software engineering skills in Python and/or Rust or modern C++
• Experience deploying AI software to production including testing, QA, and monitoring
• Excellent communication skills

Nice to have

• PhD in Robotics, Reinforcement Learning, Control Engineering, or related fields, with publications in top-tier venues (CoRL, ICRA, NeurIPS, ICLR, IROS, RSS)
• Experience developing controllers for highly dynamic robotic systems operating under complex contact interactions and demanding environmental conditions
• Experience with vision-based perception for robotics control (depth estimation, visual odometry, or visuomotor policy learning)
• Familiarity with low-level motor control interfaces and real-time embedded systems constraints
• Experience with online adaptation and meta-learning techniques
• Experience with sensor fusion (IMU, proprioception, exteroception, vision)

Benefits

• Competitive salary and VSOP options
• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation
• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance
• Gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)
• Regular company events and monthly social allowances
• 22 weeks fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers
• 6 weeks fully paid parental leave for secondary caregivers
• 5 days of paid family emergency leave
• 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

About the company

Helsing is a defence AI company with a mission to protect democracies. They aim to achieve technological leadership so open societies can continue to make sovereign decisions.