108 OPEN
SALARIES · RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Research Scientist [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for research scientist roles in robotics, AI, and autonomy. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$245,000 – $315,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$175K
[ SENIOR ]
$245K
[ STAFF ]
$315K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$400K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01
Research Scientist, Wayve LabsWayve·Sunnyvale, California USA$230K–$380K - 02Applied Scientist / Machine Learning EngineerWayve·Sunnyvale, California USA$312K–$370K
- 03Senior Research Scientist, Human‑AI Perception and InteractionNVIDIA·US, CA, Santa Clara$192K–$357K
- 04Senior Robotics Research ScientistNVIDIA·US, WA, Seattle$192K–$357K
- 05Senior Research Scientist, Multimodal Foundation Models and RoboticsNVIDIA·US, CA, Santa Clara$192K–$357K
- 06Senior Research Engineer, Robotics SystemsNVIDIA·US, CA, Santa Clara$184K–$357K
- 07
Staff AI Research EngineerAgility Robotics·Hybrid- Any Office (Fremont, CA, Salem, OR, or Pittsburgh, PA)$216K–$338K - 08
Lead Scientist, DiscoveryAnduril Industries·Washington, District of Columbia, United States$253K–$336K - 09Staff Data Scientist - Verification & ValidationZoox·Foster City, CA$256K–$307K
- 10Staff Data Scientist - Behavior EvaluationZoox·Foster City, CA$256K–$307K
§ 03Top employers hiring research scientists
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | 16 | $242K |
| Anduril Industries | 14 | $206K |
| Waabi | 12 | $212K |
| Zoox | 9 | $216K |
| Boston Dynamics | 9 | $198K |
| Wayve | 7 | $305K |
| Nuro | 6 | $230K |
| Rockwell Automation | 3 | — |
§ 04Top cities hiring research scientists
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| US | 11 | $248K |
| Waltham Office (POST) | 9 | $198K |
| Mountain View | 9 | $225K |
| Toronto | 8 | $212K |
| Broomfield | 6 | $206K |
| Foster City | 6 | $217K |
| Sunnyvale | 5 | $305K |
| Remote US & Canada | 4 | $214K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do research scientists make in the robotics industry?
- Senior research scientists in the robotics industry typically earn $245K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $315K and principal-level reach $400K. Numbers are median base salary across 78 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private robotics employers.
- Who is hiring the most research scientists right now?
- NVIDIA (16 open roles), Anduril Industries (14 open roles), and Waabi (12 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 108 open research scientist roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most research scientist jobs located?
- The top robotics industry hubs for research scientist roles right now are US, Waltham Office (POST), and Mountain View. Defense robotics tends to concentrate in DC/Northern Virginia and Colorado Springs (clearance-required roles), while commercial launch is heaviest in LA basin and Florida's Space Coast.
- Do research scientist roles in robotics, AI, and autonomy require security clearance?
- Many do. Defense robotics programs at Anduril, Shield AI, Saronic, and defense primes require Secret or TS/SCI clearance. Commercial robotics roles at Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, 1X, Skydio, and Wayve generally do not. ITAR registration is more common than clearance — many sensor, autonomy, and unmanned-systems roles require it.
§ 06See all open roles
Browse every research scientist role