AI Research Scientist

Title: AI Research Scientist
Location : Remote or local - Location: San Jose, CA (hybrid onsite 3x per week – Tues, Wed, Thurs)
Target Start Date : ASAP
Type: (C, CTH, D) Hire
Pay Rate / Salary (Ranges OK) : 240,000 -250,000
See Remarks for detailed information

Title: AI Research Scientist

Level: Senior, Lead, Staff, or Principal (level set during the interview process based on candidate calibration)

Interview Process

Job Description

Responsibilities:

· Design, execute, and analyze machine learning experiments, establishing strong baselines, and selecting appropriate evaluation of metrics.

· Stay up to date with the latest AI research; identify, adapt, and validate Client techniques for company-specific use cases.

· Define rigorous evaluation protocols, including offline metrics, user studies, and adversarial (red team) testing to ensure statistical soundness.

· Specify data and annotation requirements; develop annotation guidelines and oversee quality control processes.

· Collaborate closely with domain experts, product managers, and engineering teams to refine problem statements and operational constraints.

· Develop reusable research assets such as datasets, modular code components, evaluation suites, and comprehensive documentation.

· Work alongside ML Engineers to optimize training and inference pipelines, ensuring seamless integration into production systems.

· Contribute to academic publications and represent the company in research communities, as needed.

Educational Qualifications:

· Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field is strongly preferred.

· Candidates with a master's degree and exceptional research or industry experience will also be considered.

Industry Experience:

· 3–5 years of experience in AI/ML research roles, ideally in applied or product-focused environments.

· Demonstrated success in delivering research-driven solutions that have been deployed in production.

· Experience collaborating in cross-functional teams across research, engineering, and product.

· Publications in top-tier AI/ML conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, CVPR) are a plus.

Technical Skills:

· Strong foundational knowledge in machine learning and deep learning algorithms.

· Hands-on experience with PEFT/LoRA, adapters, fine-tuning techniques, and RLHF/RLAIF (e.g., PPO, DPO, GRPO).

· Ability to read, implement, and adapt state-of-the-art research papers to real-world use cases.

· Proficiency in hypothesis-driven experimentation, ablation studies, and statistically sound evaluations.

· Advanced programming skills in Python (preferred), C++, or Java.

· Experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, Hugging Face, NumPy, etc.

· Strong mathematical foundations in probability, linear algebra, and calculus.

· Domain expertise in one or more areas: natural language processing (NLP), symbolic reasoning, speech processing, etc.

· Ability to translate research insights into roadmaps, technical specifications, and product improvements.

Location: San Jose, CA (hybrid onsite 3x per week – Tues, Wed, Thurs)

***Note: Relocation is required within 6-months of start date, we offer relocation assistance.

Office Location: 11 W St John St, Floor 9, San Jose, CA 95113

Welcome to ConsultNet, a premier national provider of technology talent and solutions. Our expertise spans across project services, contract-to-hire, direct search, and managed services onshore, nearshore, and hybrid. For over 25 years, we have connected thousands of consultants with meaningful roles through a personal, communication-driven approach, partnering with a diverse client base to build high-performing teams and create lasting impact. Our comprehensive service offerings cover a wide range of technology and engineering positions across key markets nationwide. Learn more at www.consultnet.com .

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