Applied AI Research Scientist

CIBC; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Incentives

Benefits program

Pension plan

Employee stock purchase plan

Vacation

Wellbeing support

MomentMakers recognition

Purpose Day

Job summary

CIBC’s Advanced Analytics and AI team seeks an Applied AI Research Scientist in Toronto. You will drive strategic AI initiatives, collaborating with AI scientists, engineers, and product leaders to develop and evaluate generative models.

The role blends research and production-ready solutions, with hybrid on-site and remote work options. You should bring deep learning, NLP, and big data expertise, with a track record of impactful research and strong coding skills for large-scale training.

Qualifications

• Advanced interdisciplinary knowledge in deep learning, NLP, and big data.
• Track record of impactful research and publications at top venues.
• Understanding of foundation model architectures and efficiency.
• Hands-on experience with large-scale model training on GPUs.
• Strong coding skills and collaboration across AI scientists and engineers.

Responsibilities

• Drive strategic direction across AI scientists, engineers, and product leaders.
• Develop and explore capabilities of AI and generative models.
• Collaborate with academia to advance research and practical solutions.
• Represent CIBC in the AI research community and publish findings.

Skills

Deep learning

Natural language processing

Big data

Foundation models

Pretraining/post-training

Model efficiency

Time series / sequential data

Transformer models

GPU acceleration

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Git

Cloud platforms

Databricks

Education

PhD in deep learning or related disciplines

3+ years in related research experience or equivalent

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Databricks

Git

Python

Job description

We’re building a relationship-oriented bank for the modern world. We need talented, passionate professionals who are dedicated to doing what’s right for our clients. At CIBC, we embrace your strengths and your ambitions, so you are empowered at work. Our team members have what they need to make a meaningful impact and are truly valued for who they are and what they contribute. To learn more about CIBC, please visit CIBC.com

What you’ll be doing

The Advanced Analytics and AI team is the centre of AI excellence within CIBC and is leading the way in applying the best practices in artificial intelligence, predictive science, and machine learning, leveraging the latest technology and platforms. We collaborate with the leading academic institutes in the space of AI and machine learning to promote the exchange of ideas and enrich our talent. The Applied AI Research team is at the heart of making our vision for AI at CIBC a reality. Our work covers every aspect of the research life cycle, from partnering with Academia to building production systems. As an Applied AI Research Scientist, you will have an individual contributor (IC) role driving strategic direction through collaboration with AI Scientists, Engineers, and Product leaders across CIBC. You will play a crucial role in developing, improving, and exploring the capabilities of AI and Generative AI models. At CIBC we enable the work environment most optimal for you to thrive in your role you will have the flexibility to manage your work activities within a hybrid work arrangement where you will spend 1-3 days per week on‑site, while other days will be remote.

How you’ll succeed

Applied AI competence: Tackle difficult and meaningful projects in domains such as foundation models, multi‑agent AI, and responsible AI. Your work will make a significant difference in advancing cutting‑edge technology and providing practical solutions to real‑world problems. Research skills: Evaluate and apply advanced research in deep learning, NLP, predictive modeling, and the related literature. Integrate state‑of‑the‑art tools, technologies, and methods to support the development and implementation of large generative models. Science‑driven innovation: Work with other researchers, engineers, and product teams. Represent CIBC in the research community, collaborating with faculty members in the relevant AI research functions.

Who you are

• You have advanced interdisciplinary knowledge in deep learning, natural language processing, and big data.
• You have track record of impactful projects and publications at top‑tier venues (NeurIPS, ICLR, Nature, etc.)
• You understand model efficiency.
• You know foundation model architecture, methods for pretraining and post‑training, and model efficiency
• You have hands‑on research experience developing and evaluating deep learning models for sequential or structured data (e.g., time series, event sequences, recommendation systems, or tabular datasets), or closely related experience in transformer‑based sequence modeling and representation learning.
• You can demonstrate excellent coding skills and hands‑on experience in large‑scale model training with GPU acceleration
• You have a PhD in deep learning, or other related disciplines, and 3+ years in related research experience OR equivalent experience
• It is an asset if you have hands‑on experience building end‑to‑end solutions with Large Language Models OR experience in using cloud platforms and Databricks
• You are motivated by collective success. You value collaboration and embrace the power of an inclusive team that enjoys working together to achieve a shared vision.
• You live your values. You bring high standards, genuine care to your relationships, and want to grow with an employer that shares your values and brings out your best.

What CIBC Offers

At CIBC, your goals are a priority. We start with your strengths and ambitions as an employee and strive to create opportunities to tap into your potential. We aspire to give you a career, rather than just a paycheck. We work to recognize you in meaningful, personalized ways including a competitive salary, incentive pay, banking benefits, a benefits program*, defined benefit pension plan*, an employee share purchase plan, a vacation offering, wellbeing support, and MomentMakers, our social, points‑based recognition program. Our spaces and technological toolkit will make it simple to bring together great minds to create innovative solutions that make a difference for our clients. We cultivate a culture where you can express your ambition through initiatives like Purpose Day; a paid day off dedicated for you to use to invest in your growth and development.

*Subject to plan and program terms and conditions

What you need to know

CIBC is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all team members and clients feel like they belong. We seek applicants with a wide range of abilities and we provide an accessible candidate experience. If you need accommodation, please contact [e-mail] CIBC is committed to clarity in our hiring process. All roles posted are opportunities we’re actively recruiting for, unless stated otherwise. You need to be legally eligible to work at the location(s) specified above and, where applicable, must have a valid work or study permit. We may ask you to complete an attribute‑based assessment and other skills test (such as simulation, coding, French proficiency). We use artificial intelligence tools during the recruitment process. Our goal for the application process is to get to know more about you, all that you have to offer, and give you the opportunity to learn more about us.

Job Location Toronto-81 Bay, 21st Floor Employment Type Regular Weekly Hours 37.5 Skills Academic Research, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Technologies, Conversational AI, Critical Thinking, Data Analysis, Data Manipulation, Data Visualization, Explainable AI (XAI), Generative AI, Git, Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), PL/SQL (Programming Language), Python (Programming Language), PyTorch, Shell Scripting, Statistical Analysis, Tensorflow

At CIBC, we are in business to help our clients, employees and shareholders achieve what is important to them. Our ability to create value for all CIBC stakeholders is driven by a business culture based on common values: Trust, Teamwork and Accountability. Working with CIBC makes you a part of a work environment committed to our clients, employees and communities - a place where you can excel. Every day, our 48,000 employees help our clients achieve their financial goals, because what matters to our clients, matters to us.