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Amazon Scholars

The program is designed for academics from universities around the globe who want to work on large-scale technical challenges while continuing to teach and conduct research at their universities.

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The Amazon Scholars program enables academics from universities around the globe to work on large-scale technical challenges while continuing their academic careers. From pre-tenure faculty to established professors, Amazon Scholars can apply their research expertise to solve complex problems that impact millions of customers.

Amazon is deeply invested in R&D with hundreds of researchers and applied scientists committed to innovation across every part of the company. We believe Amazon is a unique place to measure the impact of new scientific ideas, given our scale and our ownership of both information and physical infrastructure. Scholars have the opportunity to create ground-up impact on our systems, our business, and most importantly, our customers, through their expertise.

Program Overview

Scholars can work with Amazon on a flexible basis - including part-time arrangements or during sabbaticals - while maintaining their university positions. The program welcomes academics across career stages, from pre-tenure to senior faculty members.

Applications are accepted from academic experts in research areas including, but not limited to: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Data Science, Economics, Optimization, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Statistics, Sustainability, Operations Research, Environmental Science and Robotics.

Responsibilities

As an Amazon Scholar, you may:

  • Advise business leaders on strategic plans
  • Dive deep to solve specific technical problems in an organization's roadmap
  • Advise junior researchers on methods
  • Apply research methods to tackle complex technical challenges

Program Requirements

Basic qualifications:

  • PhD in a relevant field or related discipline
  • Current affiliation with an academic or research institution

Preferred qualifications:

  • Research experience ranging from 5+ years (early-career) to 7+ years (established academics)
  • Publications at top-tier, peer-reviewed conferences and/or journals
  • Broad knowledge of applied mathematics and foundational understanding of algorithms and computational complexity
  • Expert-level research analysis and technical leadership capabilities
  • Expert knowledge in modeling and performance, operationalization, and scalability of scientific techniques
  • Ability to independently lead research development and analysis in a fast-paced environment
  • Proven track record of innovation and advancing the state of the art
  • Experience leading technical research projects with multiple stakeholders
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication and consensus-building skills

Research Locations

Amazon Scholars can work in any Amazon location across the globe where research is being conducted or Amazon has a technical workforce. Remote work is also possible, team-permitting.

Amazon has research hubs in: Aachen, Arlington, Atlanta, Austin, Bay Area, Bangalore, Boston, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Gdansk, Graz, Haifa, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, New York, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Tel Aviv, Tübingen, Turin, and Vancouver.

How to Apply

Academics interested in learning more about how their research may match the challenges, opportunities, and scale of Amazon are encouraged to reach out to academics-interest@amazon.com.

Please include:

  • Information about your research interests and current areas of work
  • Relevant personal websites
  • Your CV

Candidates who express interest will be contacted if their expertise and experience align with current business needs; however, a response is not guaranteed.

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