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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Applied Research Scientist in Robot Learning & Manipulation - **Company:** Eurecat Ver todas las vacantes - **Location:** Barcelona, Spain - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Computer Programming, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Tensorflow, Robotic Automation Software, Reinforcement Learning, Pytorch, Large Language Models, Deep Learning, Free and Open-Source Software - **Published:** May 22, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.opcionempleo.com/jobad/es0330ee87ab16a9d13590c521230cb870 ## About the Role We do not expect you to match every keyword. We are looking for depth, curiosity, and the ability to turn research ideas into working robotic systems. Essential * PhD in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Control, or a related field; or equivalent research experience. * Strong background in machine learning or deep learning applied to robotics. * Experience with robot learning, manipulation, embodied AI, learning for control, or AI-based robotic perception/action. * Strong programming skills in Python. * Ability to work with real robotic systems, not only offline datasets or simulation. * Scientific and technical maturity: ability to define problems, test hypotheses, analyse results, and communicate findings. * Good written and spoken English. Highly valuable * Experience with imitation learning, behaviour cloning, reinforcement learning, offline RL, diffusion policies, transformers, VLA models, or foundation models for robotics. * Experience with ROS/ROS 2. * Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar frameworks. * Experience with robotic arms, mobile manipulators, force/contact-rich manipulation, bimanual manipulation, or human-robot collaboration. * Publications, open-source contributions, project demos, or research prototypes in robot learning or embodied AI. * Experience in European or collaborative R&D projects. This role is probably a good fit if… * You have worked on AI methods that make robots perceive, decide, manipulate, adapt, or learn. * You enjoy both research and implementation. * You are comfortable moving between papers, code, experiments, robots, and project discussions. * You want to work in applied research: scientifically ambitious, but connected to real systems and industrial impact. * You are attracted by the opportunity to contribute to a European flagship effort in robotics foundation models. ## Description Permanent position | Robotics & AI | GRAIL European flagship project | Barcelona area | Hybrid work Are you excited about building the next generation of robots that can learn, adapt, and act in the physical world? The Robotics and Automation Unit at Eurecat Technology Centre is looking for an Applied Research Scientist in Robot Learning and Manipulation. This is a permanent research position. You will work on GRAIL (Grant Agreement No. 101298421) - a lighthouse European project to develop foundation models for robotics - and continue contributing to Eurecat's robotics roadmap beyond the project. GRAIL is aligned with the European push to develop trustworthy generative AI and foundation models for robotics, including real-world validation on robotic hardware and industrial use cases. We are looking for someone with PhD-level research maturity - either through a completed PhD or equivalent research experience - and hands-on experience applying AI/ML methods to real robotic systems. Why this role matters? Robotics is entering a new phase: generative AI is changing how robots perceive, decide, and acquire new skills. Robotics is not just about language. Robots must deal with contact, uncertainty, limited data, hardware constraints, safety, and the messy complexity of the physical world. In this role, you will help bridge that gap: turning advanced AI methods into robust robotic capabilities for manipulation and safe human-robot collaboration in real industrial environments. This is a unique opportunity to work with some of the strongest robotics and AI groups in Europe on a project that aims to shape the future of physical AI and industrial automation. If you want your research to move beyond papers and benchmarks into real robotic systems, this is the kind of opportunity you should not miss. What will you work on? You will contribute to applied research and development in areas such as: * Imitation learning, reinforcement learning, or related approaches for robotic manipulation and mobile manipulation skill acquisition. * Foundation models for robotics, including multimodal and vision-language-action approaches, that can generalise across tasks, objects, environments, or robotic platforms. * Integration and validation of AI methods on real robotic systems. * Human-robot collaboration and manipulation in industrial or semi-structured environments. * Scientific publications, project deliverables, demonstrations, and collaboration with European partners. You will work on both simulations and real-world robotic systems, going beyond isolated academic benchmarks. The role focuses on developing innovative ideas, implementing them, testing them on real robots, and refining them to meet practical constraints. ## Related Videos - [Getting Started with Machine Learning](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/260-getting-started-with-machine-learning) - [Robots are coming into the wild! Full-Stack Robotics Engineers, be ready!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/479-robots-are-coming-into-the-wild-full-stack-robotics-engineers-be-ready) - [Machine learning in the browser with TensorFlowjs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/155-machine-learning-in-the-browser-with-tensorflowjs) - [Photonic Computing: Programming a New Class of AI Accelerators (incl. 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