Lucky Robots / Writings
Fellowship Senior Researchers READ Rolling intake

The Lucky Robots Fellowship.

A fellowship for senior roboticists and researchers who need a simulator that can keep up with what they're building. You bring the ideas and the experience. We bring the engine, the engineers, and whatever needs to get built.

We're looking for experienced people with a track record of training robots to do real things. We want you using our simulator, giving us feedback, and pushing it past what it currently does. If you're a researcher with ideas you want to test but you can't find a simulator that handles what you need, that's the gap we're trying to close.

Working with us means you have a direct line to the engineers who write the robotics engine. Not a support ticket. Not a forum post. The people who can change the engine are the people you'll be talking to.

If you're interested in working with us full time, we're open to that. But we're also interested in how talented people use our software and how they wish it worked differently. Both paths start here.

The Lucky Fellowship

Who this is for

We're mainly looking for researchers working on real tasks deployed in realistic settings, not toy problems on a tabletop. Examples:

Warehouse work Cleaning a home Drones Path planning Real-world deployment

This isn't only for roboticists, though. If you need custom physics environments for any reason, you qualify. We can give you a custom build with custom sensors (WiFi mapping, for example) and custom physics (change gravity, change anything). If your idea needs the simulator to do something it doesn't do yet, that's the kind of problem we want to work on with you.

What you get

A custom build of the engine
Built around your research. Custom sensors, custom physics, whatever you need. If the capability doesn't exist yet, we'll build it.
A direct line to the engine team
You talk to the engineers who write the engine. Bugs get fixed, features get shipped, and your feedback changes the product.
Paid, on your terms
The fellowship is funded. The point is the work and the access, but you'll be compensated for your time and your results.
A path to full-time
If the fit is right on both sides, this can become a full-time role. Several of our best hires started this way.

Who should apply (senior researchers)

This fellowship is aimed at experienced researchers and engineers. Fill out this application if you meet at least one of these:

Your resume matters, but we also need a clear explanation of what you have in mind: what you'd want to test, what the simulator would need to do for you, and why you can't do it with what exists today. That explanation matters as much as the credentials.

How it works

  1. Apply. Submit the form below with your background and what you want to build. We read every one.
  2. Talk. If there's a fit, we set up a conversation with our engineers to figure out what you need from the simulator and whether we can build it.
  3. Get a custom build. If it makes sense, you get a build tailored to your research: custom sensors, custom physics, whatever your work requires.
  4. Build, test, feedback. You do your research in the engine. You tell us what works and what doesn't. We ship fixes and features. Repeat.

What we're looking for in your application

We're not grading on formatting. We want to understand two things: what you've done, and what you want to do next. Specifically:


Apply

If this sounds like you, apply below. We read every application.

Apply for the Fellowship →

Questions

Is this paid?
Yes. The fellowship is funded. Compensation is fair and scales with the scope of what you take on. We'll talk specifics once we understand what you want to build.
Do I need to already use Lucky Engine?
No. If you have ideas you want to test and your current simulator can't handle them, that's the situation we're built for. We'll get you set up and, if needed, build the capabilities you're missing.
What can you actually customize?
A lot. Custom sensors (WiFi signal mapping, for example), custom physics (change gravity, change contact models, whatever you need), custom robots, custom environments. If you can describe it, we can probably build it. That's the point of having a direct line to the engine team.
Is this only for roboticists?
No. If you need custom physics environments for any reason, you're welcome. The fellowship is about capable people pushing the engine past what it currently does.
Does this lead to a full-time job?
It can. We're always interested in full-time hires who come out of a fellowship. If you're open to it, say so in the application. If you're not, that's fine. The fellowship stands on its own.
Can a team apply?
Yes. Put one primary contact on the application and we'll figure out the rest from there.
Also: Junior Engineers

Not a senior researcher yet? There's still a place for you.

We run a separate funded task program for early-career engineers and researchers: students, self-taught builders, anyone building a first robotics portfolio. No hardware required, no prior publications required. You pick a task, build it in the simulator, and get paid when it ships.

It's a different program with a different application, meant for people who aren't at the senior bar yet but want to build a track record with us.

Apply to the Junior task program →

If you've got the experience and an idea the right simulator could unlock, we'd like to hear from you.

Apply for the Fellowship →
— Lucky Robots, Fellowship