Advanced Analytics Research Scientist - Industrial VLM Systems -

Rockwell Automation is a global technology leader focused on helping the world’s manufacturers be more productive, sustainable, and agile. With more than 28,000 employees who make the world better every day, we know we have something special. Behind our customers - amazing companies that help feed the world, provide life-saving medicine on a global scale, and focus on clean water and green mobility - our people are energized problem solvers that take pride in how the work we do changes the world for the better.

We welcome all makers, forward thinkers, and problem solvers who are looking for a place to do their best work. And if that’s you we would love to have you join us!

Job Description

We are looking for an innovative AI engineer/scientist to help develop the next generation of vision-language AI systems for industrial automation and robotics. You will focus on building multimodal AI systems who can understand environments, interpreting visual and operational context, interacting naturally with operators, and enabling intelligent robotic and industrial behaviors in real-world settings.

You will work at the frontier of vision-language models (VLMs), multimodal learning, robotics AI, and industrial autonomy. You will be developing systems that combine visual perception, language understanding, reasoning, and adaptive learning to operate effectively in complex physical environments.

You will report to the Director AI and have a hybrid work schedule, working from Austin, TX

What You Will Work On

• Develop and deploy vision-language AI systems for:

  • Industrial automation

  • Robotics and autonomous systems

  • Operator assistance and collaboration

  • Visual inspection and monitoring

  • Environment and scene understanding

• Build multimodal AI architectures capable of reasoning over:

  • Images and video

  • Sensor and operational data

  • Natural language instructions and documentation

  • Human interactions and feedback

• Design systems that enable:

  • Context-aware decision making

  • Human-robot interaction

  • Spatial and semantic understanding

  • Task grounding and action reasoning

  • Continuous learning from deployment observations and operational feedback

• Integrate AI models with robotics platforms, automation systems, edge devices, and industrial data infrastructure

• Collaborate with researchers, controls engineers, robotics teams, and domain experts to deploy AI systems into real operational environments

The Essentials - You Will Have:

• Bachelor's Degree in Relevant Field

The Preferred - You Might Also Have:

• Typically requires 5+ years relevant experience

• Strong background in one or more of the following:

  • Computer vision

  • Vision-language models (VLMs)

  • Multimodal AI

  • Robotics AI

  • Deep learning and representation learning

• Experience developing AI systems using modern machine learning frameworks and multimodal architectures

• Strong software engineering skills in Python and AI/ML tooling ecosystems
   

• Familiarity with:

  • Foundation models

  • Transformer architectures

  • Video understanding

  • Visual reasoning

  • Embodied AI or robotic learning

• Bridge research and deployment in complex real-world systems

• Curiosity and experience with building AI systems that perceive, reason, and interact within physical environments

Bonus Experience

• Industrial automation or robotics platforms

• Vision-based inspection systems

• Simulation and digital twin environments

• Edge AI deployment and optimization

• Reinforcement learning or imitation learning

• Multi-agent AI systems

• World models and spatial reasoning

• Human-in-the-loop learning systems

What We Offer

This position is part of a job family. Experience will be the determining factor for position level and compensation

At Rockwell Automation we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this or other roles.

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We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. 

If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (844) 404-7247.

Rockwell Automation’s hybrid policy aligns that employees are expected to work at a Rockwell location at least Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays unless they have a business obligation out of the office.