Seeking Research Scientists or Postdoctoral Researchers (W24316) Part-time

Research Scientists Or Postdoctoral Researchers (W24316)

Laboratory: Robot learning team, Goal-Oriented Technology Research Group RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (Team Director: Takayuki Osa)

Outline of Laboratory: The RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project has been launched since April 2016 with the subsidy for “Advanced Integrated Intelligence Platform Project-Artificial Intelligence/ Big Data/ Internet of Things/ Cybersecurity-.” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Our center aims to achieve scientific breakthrough and to contribute to the welfare of society and humanity through developing innovative technologies. We also conduct research on ethical, legal and social issues caused by the spread of AI technology and develop human resources.

The Robot Learning Team works on algorithms and methodologies for robotic agents to learn skills for performing tasks in physical environments.

Job Title

Research Scientist or Postdoctoral Researcher 2 positions

Research Scientist

Carries out research and other work in accordance with team research themes Basically defined as those with a doctoral degree more than 5 years

Postdoctoral Researcher

Carries out research and other work in accordance with team research themes under the direction of supervisors. Basically defined as those with a doctoral degree of 5 years or less.

Job Description

The candidate will work on problems at the intersection of reinforcement learning, imitation learning, robotics and motion planning. The candidate is expected to carry out research and publish their findings in top robotics and machine-learning conferences, and help in the management of the group, as well as supervision of internship students and technical staffs. The position is meant to further the careers of early-career researchers who wish to pursue a career in academia.

The job description may be changed during the contract period or upon contract renewal to the extent described above.

Qualifications

• Must have a Ph.D. or expect to receive a Ph.D. before the date of employment in robotics, machine learning, computer science, statistics or a related field.
• Must be proactive, cooperative, flexible, and able to respond according to the circumstances.
• Must also have good communication skills and be able to cooperate with the relevant personnel within/outside of the laboratory to fulfill the tasks.

Work Location

RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (1-4-1, Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo)

RIKEN has implemented a work-from-home system. Employees can work from home in accordance with the prescribed procedures. RIKEN may order the employee to change work locations, if necessary.

Salary And Benefits

• A one-year fixed-term employment contract, renewable based on evaluation, to a maximum of the end of the fiscal year (March 31) in which the employee completes 7 years of employment. (Maximum employment duration for a Postdoctoral Researcher is 5 years)
• In principle, the first two months of employment is considered a trial period. Salary will be an annual salary based on experience, ability, and performance, and will consist of a base salary and a variable salary. The variable salary will be determined each fiscal year based on experience, ability, and performance. The monthly base salary is 384,000 JPY for Research Scientist, 327,200 JPY for Postdoctoral Researcher as of April 1, 2025. The monthly base salary and variable salary are subject to change due to amendments to RIKEN regulations.

Discretionary work, commuting and housing allowances will be provided. Social insurance will be applied.

The approximate amount of monthly salary at the time of employment:

Research Scientist

Monthly salary range, including discretionary work allowance, at the time of employment is 500,000-833,000 JPY (annual salary 6,000,000-9,996,000 JPY). Decided based on experience, ability, and achievements.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Monthly salary range, including discretionary work allowance, at the time of employment is 400,000-575,000 JPY (annual salary 4,800,000-6,900,000 JPY). Decided based on experience, ability, and achievements.

Mandatory membership in the RIKEN Mutual Benefit Society (RIKEN Kyosaikai).

This position falls under the specialized duties discretionary work system; one working day will be calculated as 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Days off include public holidays, New Year's holidays (Dec. 29 – Jan 3), and RIKEN Foundation Day. Paid leave includes annual paid leave (up to 20 days depending on the month of employment), special paid leave (childcare, family nursing care, etc.), and work life balance holidays (up to 7 days depending on the month of employment). There are also additional leave systems such as maternity leave, childcare leave, and family nursing care leave. Smoking is entirely prohibited on site. These and other provisions are in accordance with RIKEN regulations.

RIKEN is actively undertaking initiatives to promote gender equality and diversity, and moving forward with the establishment of a diverse and vibrant research environment. If multiple candidates are found to have the same aptitude following a fair assessment, active efforts will be made to recruit female candidates.

Also, eligible for an exemption from repayment for category 1 scholarship loans provided by the Japan Student Services Organization before fiscal year 2003, and eligible applying for the MEXT Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi).

The Wako Campus has an on-site daycare, RIKEN Kids Wako. For details, please send an email to the HR at kids@riken.jp.

Application And Required Documents

Required Documents

• List of publications: Circle titles of three major papers in the list
• Photocopies of three major research papers.
• Two different letters of recommendation including one by the current supervisor Note: If you cannot obtain a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, the same document issued by a third party is acceptable. Please specify the referee's contact information (Name, affiliation, job title, phone number, and email address) Letters of recommendation must be addressed to: Director of RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project Recommendation letters must be submitted directly by the recommender, not by the applicant. We will contact the recommender with the URL to which the recommendation letter should be submitted.
• Research in the past and research plan (3 pages in A4 size) Your research plan must include outcome expected within a few years from your appointment.
• Consent form for handling personal information based on GDPR If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) or UK, you are required to submit the document, “Consent form for handling personal information based on GDPR and Regulation of the European Parliament and of the council of on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (UK General Data Protection Regulation)” with your signature. You will find detailed information about General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the following website: Data protection | European Commission You will find detailed information about Regulation of the European Parliament and of the council of on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (UK GDPR) on the following website: Data Protection and the EU | Information Commissioner's Office

How To Apply

• Please access “HR Inquiry for public recruitment” and enter your contact information, the Open call ID (W24316) and so on.
• Our HR staff will send you an email with instructions on how to submit your application.

Note: Application documents will not be returned. We cannot answer any inquiry about information regarding application status or evaluation details prior to, during, or after the evaluation process.

Deadline

Open until the position is filled

Handling Personal Data

Submitted documents are strictly protected under the RIKEN Privacy Policy and will be used only for the purpose of applicant screening at RIKEN. Personal information will not be disclosed, transferred or loaned to a third party under any circumstances without just cause.

Selection Process

Application screening, interview and oral presentation by selected applicants.

Start Of Employment

As early as possible