Description

Join us at the forefront of Amazon's sustainability initiatives to work on environmental and social advancements that support Amazon's long-term worldwide sustainability strategy. At Amazon, we're working to be the most customer-centric company on earth. To get there, we need exceptionally talented, bright, and driven people who are passionate about making a meaningful impact on communities and the environment while helping shape the future of sustainable business practices.

Sustainability Science and Innovation (SSI) is a multi-disciplinary team within WW Sustainability combining science, analytics, economics, statistics, machine learning, product development, and engineering expertise. We use data across the sustainability imperatives (carbon, water, waste, biodiversity, environmental risk and more) and these skills and capabilities to identify, develop, experiment, and scale the scientific solutions and innovations necessary for Amazon, customers and partners to help them solve their hardest unmet and evolving sustainability needs and goals.

We are seeking an exceptional scientific leader to join Amazon's Sustainability Science and Innovation team as a Senior Researcher for Autonomous Materials Innovation. This role combines Physical AI with materials chemistry to accelerate the discovery and validation of sustainable materials through autonomous science systems.

As a Senior Researcher in our Sustainability Materials Innovation Lab, you will lead the design and implementation of autonomous experimental research platforms that leverage data science and AI to accelerate materials innovation. You will establish scientific strategy and technical roadmaps for next-generation autonomous capabilities while leading research initiatives that tackle complex sustainability challenges in critical industrial sectors. This position requires driving breakthrough solutions in materials and energy sciences through strategic partnerships with universities, industry scientists, and government laboratories.

You will mentor junior scientists and engineers while collaborating across Amazon's Innovation Lab Network to translate research into scalable solutions. Your leadership will be essential in developing early-stage, cost-effective technologies that address significant technical and economic challenges fundamental to Amazon's operations, requiring you to navigate complex trade-offs between immediate deliverables and long-term environmental impact.

The ideal candidate demonstrates extensive experience in autonomous experimentation, materials or chemical sciences, and AI-driven research methodologies. You must possess proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, establish research priorities, and drive scientific innovation from concept to implementation. Deep technical expertise in laboratory automation combined with strategic vision for translating research into practical applications is essential.

Your work will establish new paradigms in sustainable materials discovery at the intersection of Physical AI and materials chemistry, directly contributing to Amazon's sustainability goals while creating scalable solutions that extend beyond the company's immediate operations.

Key job responsibilities
- Develop scientific models that help solve complex and ambiguous sustainability problems, and extract strategic learnings from large datasets.

- Work closely with applied scientists and software engineers to implement your scientific models.

- Support early-stage strategic sustainability initiatives and effectively learn from, collaborate with, and influence stakeholders to scale-up high-value initiatives.

- Support research and development of cross-cutting technologies for industrial decarbonization, including building the data foundation and analytics for new AI models.

- Drive innovation in key focus areas including packaging materials, building materials, and alternative fuels.


About the team
Diverse Experiences:
World Wide Sustainability (WWS) values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.

Inclusive Team Culture:
It’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.

Mentorship & Career Growth:
We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.