Senior Robotics & Embodied AI Research Advisor

Location: Remote | Up to 25% travel Contract: 12-month W2 contract to start; supporting a 5-year program

Clearance: Ability to obtain a Public Trust

Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced Embodied AI / Robotics Technical Advisor (SETA) to support advanced R&D initiatives for ARPA-H. The role focuses on evaluating emerging embodied AI and robotics technologies, assessing the technical soundness of proposed approaches, helping establish project goals and budgets, and providing technical oversight of funded R&D efforts.

Key Responsibilities: Assess the state of the art in embodied AI, robotics, and surgical AI Evaluate the technical and conceptual soundness of proposed R&D approaches Review technical progress, performance, risks, and proposed solutions Provide technical evaluation and oversight of funded projects Help establish project goals, milestones, expectations, and budgets Communicate technical assessments to program stakeholders Core Technical Areas Embodied AI / Physical AI Robot learning and imitation learning Robotics control systems / learning-based control Foundation models for Physical AI / robotics World models / world modeling Medical and surgical robotics

Required Qualifications: Strong technical foundation in AI/ML and robotics, with experience relevant to embodied or physical AI Experience developing, researching, evaluating, or overseeing advanced technical R&D Experience with budgeting and program management Master’s in Engineering OR PhD/MD in health or biological sciences U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a Public Trust Ability to travel up to 25% Preferred Additional expertise in healthcare, medical, biological, or surgical applications