Researcher 2

Location: Silicon Valley

Job Schedule: Full-time Hybrid

Education Requirement: see below

Come Drive Innovation with Us. We are currently looking for a Researcher 2 to join our team in Silicon Valley.

A Day in the Life:

With a focus on Mobility, Operational Excellence, Value to our Customers and the Electrification of vehicles, you can expect to be part of something exciting at Nissan. We exemplify ingenuity in everything we do, from the sleek design of our vehicles to the unique opportunities we offer around the globe. Our people are what drive the business forward and we are looking for researchers who want to challenge themselves, test their skills, develop their talents, and discover their full potential.

We're currently looking for a Researcher in Autonomous Systems Integration & Data Infrastructure to join our team. As a member of the Autonomous Systems team, you will enable end-to-end autonomous vehicle research through sensor integration, calibration, data collection, synchronization, and software infrastructure development. You will work closely with perception researchers and software engineers to integrate emerging sensing technologies, build scalable data collection pipelines, and develop robust hardware-to-software interfaces that accelerate autonomous driving research and development.

Think you've got the internal drive to support the production of great vehicles and join a winning team? Apply for this position and start the process to kick your career into high gear.

Whom We're Looking For:

Required Technical & Execution Skills:

• Sensor Integration: Lead hardware and software integration of camera, radar, lidar, GPS/IMU, and other sensing modalities into autonomous vehicle research platforms.
• Autonomous Systems Infrastructure: Develop and maintain software interfaces connecting hardware sensors to software stacks using ROS1, ROS2, CAN, Ethernet, C++, and Python.
• Data Flywheel Ownership: Own data collection, sensor validation, calibration, synchronization, data quality verification, and dataset generation processes supporting autonomous driving research.
• Rapid Prototyping & Evaluation: Evaluate and benchmark emerging sensing technologies through rapid hardware integration, testing, and software-based performance analysis.
• Hardware-in-the-Loop Development: Design, implement, and troubleshoot hardware-in-the-loop and real-world vehicle testing workflows to enable scalable autonomous driving experimentation.

Required Leadership & Collaboration Skills:

• Technical Ownership: Independently drive hardware integration, data collection, and infrastructure workstreams from planning through validation and deployment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with perception researchers, software engineers, and vehicle integration teams to support autonomous driving research objectives.
• Stakeholder Management: Coordinate hardware evaluations, sensor deployments, and testing activities while maintaining strong relationships with internal and external partners.

Required Communication & Visibility Skills:

• Technical Reporting: Communicate hardware integration results, data collection findings, and infrastructure roadmaps through documentation, technical reviews, and team presentations.
• Data Quality Advocacy: Drive alignment around sensor calibration, synchronization, data quality, and validation best practices.
• Consistency: Provide clear project updates, technical documentation, and sprint planning contributions to support efficient project execution.

Required Qualifications:

• Education & Experience: At least a Master's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Software Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Robotics, or a related field, with 3+ years of relevant industry or research experience; or a PhD in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience integrating and validating multiple sensor modalities, including camera, lidar, radar, and localization sensors, within robotic or autonomous systems.
• Demonstrated experience integrating hardware sensors into software systems for robotics, autonomous systems, ADAS, or related applications.
• Experience with camera intrinsic and extrinsic calibration. Experience with camera-lidar, camera-radar, lidar-lidar, or multi-sensor calibration is preferred.
• Strong understanding of sensor synchronization techniques including hardware-triggered synchronization, timestamp management, and protocols such as PTP.
• Hands-on experience evaluating and benchmarking sensor hardware, including rapid prototyping, validation, and performance analysis of novel sensing technologies.
• Hands-on experience with GPS/IMU systems, localization infrastructure, and sensor synchronization workflows.
• Experience developing and debugging software on Linux-based systems.
• Strong programming skills in C++ and Python, with experience developing software using ROS1 and/or ROS2.
• Experience with CAN, Automotive ethernet CAN, automotive communication protocols, and sensor driver development.
• Experience collecting, cleaning, validating, and managing large-scale datasets for autonomous systems, robotics, or machine learning applications.

Welcome to an open lane of possibility. We know you have the capability to change the world, and we want you to help us change the future of automotive. Drive your career forward and join the company leading the technology and business evolution of the automotive industry by applying today.

What You'll Look Forward to at Nissan:

Career Growth and Continuous Learning Opportunities: Benefit from diverse career paths, cross-departmental moves, and innovative learning platforms. Enhance your skills through seminars, leadership training, and tuition reimbursement programs, all while playing a vital role in shaping the future of transportation. From day one, you'll have the support to tackle challenges and contribute to impactful solutions across our organization.

Rewards: Be supported with a Comprehensive Benefits Package, including medical, mental health, parental leave, retirement savings, and unique Nissan perks including discounts on lease vehicles as part of our Employee Lease Program and/or Vehicle Purchase Program (VPP). For more information access our Nissan Benefits Overview Guide.

Built for Your Best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXuame0vwiw&list=PLki2k0CDxrPe8V6WmEeEdhj1fosRD-JQa

Nissan is committed to a drug-free workplace. All employment is contingent upon the successful completion of drug and background screenings in accordance with Nissan policies and in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act and the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance. Nissan will consider qualified candidates with arrest or conviction records for employment in a manner consistent with these laws.

It is Nissan's policy to provide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, gender, military status, disability, or any other status protected by law. Candidates for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility at the time of hire; Nissan uses E-Verify to validate employment eligibility.

NISSAN FOR EVERYONE

People are our most valuable assets, and Nissan seeks to maximize the power of each individual member of our team. When everyone belongs, the power of NISSAN is undeniable. Nissan aims to improve business results through a workplace and business that meets the needs of our employees and customer base.

Nissan is committed to creating a culture where everyone belongs and employees, customers, and partners feel respected, valued, and heard. We have Business Synergy Teams (BSTs) across the Americas that are open to all employees and seek to connect employees through common interests and foster a company culture where all employees feel supported and included.

Nissan also values inclusion in our business as we respect and recognize the diversity of our customer base and the communities where we do business. We are committed to procuring innovative goods and services, retailing our products, and communicating from a position that will help us continue to offer our customers competitively designed, market-driven products.

Join us as we carry our commitment to our employees and customers into the future.

Santa Clara California United States of America

Salary Range:

$108,400.00 - $230,590.00

Salary Range Estimate: Annual Salary: (Minimum to Maximum of Salary Range noted here). This compensation range represents the minimum and maximum base salary rates at Nissan for jobs assigned to this particular grade level. Please note that it is uncommon for an employee to be placed at either end of the range. Rather, an employee's actual base salary generally may fall somewhere in between and reflect the employee's unique skills, work experience, education, work location, and market norms. Additionally, pay may be based on comparisons to the base salary rates of other employees with similar backgrounds working in comparable roles.