AI Research Scientist

Description of Duties

Key Responsibilities
1. Foundational AI Research
Conduct original, high-impact research in NLP, LLMs, dialogue systems, and generative AI
Define novel research problems inspired by real-time interview and communication challenges
Develop new algorithms, architectures, and training methodologies
Publish research in top-tier venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, AAAI, Interspeech, etc.)
2. Experimentation & Scientific Rigor
Design controlled experiments with clear hypotheses and evaluation frameworks
Build benchmarking systems tailored to real-time conversational AI
Perform ablation studies, error analysis, and statistical validation
Ensure reproducibility and scientific rigor in all research outputs
3. Research-to-Production Translation
Collaborate with engineering and product teams to deploy research into production
Build prototypes and validate feasibility of new AI approaches
Optimize models for real-time constraints such as latency, cost, and scalability
Work on model compression, distillation, quantization, and efficient inference systems
4. Advanced NLP & Dialogue Systems
Improve multi-turn dialogue understanding and context tracking
Research context-aware and personalized response generation
Develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) enhancements
Improve real-time adaptability of AI systems based on user interaction signals
5. Speech & Multimodal AI Research
Advance real-time speech recognition robustness (accents, noise, overlap)
Explore multimodal AI combining speech, text, and conversational context
Research prosodic and behavioral signals (tone, pace, hesitation)
Work on end-to-end spoken language understanding systems
6. Leadership & Collaboration
Mentor junior researchers and engineers
Communicate complex research insights to technical and non-technical teams
Collaborate with academic and industry research communities
Help define the long-term AI research roadmap

Required Qualifications
Experience
3+ years of AI/ML research experience
Track record of publications or demonstrated research impact
Experience translating research into production systems
Strong collaboration experience with engineering and product teams
Startup or high-growth environment experience preferred
Education
Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, NLP, or related field
Exceptional candidates with Master’s + strong research output will be considered
Technical Skills
Deep understanding of deep learning and transformer-based models
Strong Python programming and PyTorch/JAX/TensorFlow expertise
Experience with NLP techniques (pretraining, fine-tuning, RLHF, DPO, RAG)
Strong background in probability, statistics, and linear algebra
Familiarity with ML experiment tracking tools (W&B, MLflow, etc.)
Soft Skills
Strong research intuition combined with production mindset
Ability to independently identify and solve complex problems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Collaborative and team-oriented mindset
Preferred Qualifications
Research in real-time AI systems or low-latency inference
Publications in dialogue systems or conversational AI
Experience in speech-to-text or multimodal learning
Work on model efficiency (distillation, quantization, speculative decoding)
Experience with RLHF or preference optimization methods
Open-source AI contributions
Startup founding or early-stage experience

Type of position

Remote

Salary

$160,000 – $240,000 USD / year

Benefits

Location

33 Irving Pl, Manhattan, New York, United States 33 Irving Pl, Manhattan, New York, United States, Manhattan, KS, USA, New York 10003,

Closing Date

08/05/2026

Date Position Available

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LockedIn AI
LockedIn AI Employment Type: Full-Time Work Model: Remote (US-Based) · Optional Hybrid in New York, NY Location: Remote (US) · New York, NY Team: AI / ML Reports To: Co-Founder / CEO Compensation: $160,000 – $240,000 USD / year About LockedIn AI LockedIn AI is the #1 real-time AI interview and meeting copilot, trusted by over 1 million users worldwide. We are building a next-generation career preparation platform that empowers candidates to perform at their best during live job interviews, coding assessments, and professional meetings. Our AI-driven system delivers real-time guidance that helps users communicate with clarity, confidence, and precision. As we scale, we are pushing the boundaries of applied AI to redefine how people prepare for and succeed in high-stakes professional conversations. Role Overview We are looking for a highly skilled and curiosity-driven AI Research Scientist to help advance the state of the art in applied artificial intelligence at LockedIn AI. This is a deep research role with direct production impact. You will design novel algorithms, explore new model architectures, run rigorous experiments, and translate cutting-edge research into scalable systems that power our real-time AI copilot used by over 1 million users. You will work at the intersection of: Natural Language Processing (NLP) Real-time inference systems Dialogue modeling Generative AI Speech and multimodal intelligence Your work will directly influence product capabilities and define LockedIn AI’s long-term competitive advantage. Key Responsibilities 1. Foundational AI Research Conduct original, high-impact research in NLP, LLMs, dialogue systems, and generative AI Define novel research problems inspired by real-time interview and communication challenges Develop new algorithms, architectures, and training methodologies Publish research in top-tier venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, AAAI, Interspeech, etc.) 2. Experimentation & Scientific Rigor Design controlled experiments with clear hypotheses and evaluation frameworks Build benchmarking systems tailored to real-time conversational AI Perform ablation studies, error analysis, and statistical validation Ensure reproducibility and scientific rigor in all research outputs 3. Research-to-Production Translation Collaborate with engineering and product teams to deploy research into production Build prototypes and validate feasibility of new AI approaches Optimize models for real-time constraints such as latency, cost, and scalability Work on model compression, distillation, quantization, and efficient inference systems 4. Advanced NLP & Dialogue Systems Improve multi-turn dialogue understanding and context tracking Research context-aware and personalized response generation Develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) enhancements Improve real-time adaptability of AI systems based on user interaction signals 5. Speech & Multimodal AI Research Advance real-time speech recognition robustness (accents, noise, overlap) Explore multimodal AI combining speech, text, and conversational context Research prosodic and behavioral signals (tone, pace, hesitation) Work on end-to-end spoken language understanding systems 6. Leadership & Collaboration Mentor junior researchers and engineers Communicate complex research insights to technical and non-technical teams Collaborate with academic and industry research communities Help define the long-term AI research roadmap Required Qualifications Experience 3+ years of AI/ML research experience Track record of publications or demonstrated research impact Experience translating research into production systems Strong collaboration experience with engineering and product teams Startup or high-growth environment experience preferred Education Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, NLP, or related field Exceptional candidates with Master’s + strong research output will be considered Technical Skills Deep understanding of deep learning and transformer-based models Strong Python programming and PyTorch/JAX/TensorFlow expertise Experience with NLP techniques (pretraining, fine-tuning, RLHF, DPO, RAG) Strong background in probability, statistics, and linear algebra Familiarity with ML experiment tracking tools (W&B, MLflow, etc.) Soft Skills Strong research intuition combined with production mindset Ability to independently identify and solve complex problems Excellent written and verbal communication skills Collaborative and team-oriented mindset Preferred Qualifications Research in real-time AI systems or low-latency inference Publications in dialogue systems or conversational AI Experience in speech-to-text or multimodal learning Work on model efficiency (distillation, quantization, speculative decoding) Experience with RLHF or preference optimization methods Open-source AI contributions Startup founding or early-stage experience What We Offer Equity Meaningful early-stage equity and ownership in a fast-growing AI company Impact Your research directly powers a product used by over 1 million users Flexibility Remote-first culture with optional hybrid setup in New York City Growth Work in a fast-scaling, AI-native startup environment Culture Fast execution, deep ownership, user obsession, and continuous learning Why Join LockedIn AI? Category-defining AI copilot for interviews and meetings Rapidly growing user base of over 1M+ users Research directly influences real-world product experiences Work at the frontier of applied AI and real-time systems Fast transition from idea → experiment → production How to Apply Please submit: Your resume or CV A short note explaining: Why you want to join LockedIn AI Whether you’ve used the product What improvements you would suggest Optional: GitHub, publications, or technical writing samples Equal Opportunity LockedIn AI is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Hiring decisions are based on merit, skills, and business needs.