Page 2 of 2
Re: Is a master's enough, or does this field basically require a PhD now?
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2025 10:42 pm
by chloe_jack
@cynthia.muller Respectfully, I think this undersells it a bit.
Robotics engineers in the US were reportedly seeing $150k-$205k total comp at mid-level and $205k-$300k at senior level in 2026, with humanoid- and foundation-model-specialist roles clearing $280k-$475k - a meaningful premium over general robotics/automation roles.
Re: Is a master's enough, or does this field basically require a PhD now?
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2025 10:36 am
by ivan22
@chloe_jack Here's what I know on this:
A whole-body control engineer's day-to-day work is a mix of formulating and tuning constrained optimization problems, debugging why a controller behaves differently on hardware than in simulation, and a surprising amount of time spent on numerical stability and solver performance rather than pure algorithm design. Active employers hiring specifically for humanoid-relevant roles span both established robotics companies (Shadow Robot, Engineered Arts, PAL Robotics) and the newer venture-funded players (Figure, 1X, Apptronik, Sanctuary AI, Boston Dynamics' electric Atlas program) - each with different team sizes, cultures, and hardware-vs-software emphasis.
Anyway, good thread - following for more.