Lead Research Scientist

ZipRecruiter; London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks a Technical Lead specializing in GenAI to guide their AI team in developing advanced generative models. This hybrid role in London involves significant strategic ownership and hands-on leadership, requiring expertise in both technical and leading aspects of AI. Ideal candidates will have a PhD and a robust background in managing generative AI projects.

Qualifications

• Expertise in generative modelling for physical/simulated/visual environments.
• Hands-on with large-scale models - video, diffusion, multimodal.
• Deep knowledge of ML tooling and computer vision systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical direction and execution for the world modelling domain.
• Own research and development roadmap, balancing exploration with aligned milestones.
• Develop generative models that simulate environments at scale.

Skills

Generative modelling

Large-scale models

Temporal models

Spatial reasoning

Computer vision

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Tools

PyTorch

PySpark

Job description

Job Description

Technical Lead - GenAI - PhD

Fulltime - Hybrid role - London

Basic Salary + Equity

Must be based in the UK

Our client is looking for a Technical Lead to join their AI team and help define and drive its GenAI roadmap, with a specific focus on how models perceive and simulate complex, dynamic environments. Guide GenAI efforts, with a strong emphasis on applying large-scale models (LLMs, diffusion, multimodal) in real-world systems.

This is a hands-on role, but one with significant ownership of strategy and direction — ideal for someone experienced in scaling generative or models from research into production.

What You’ll Do

Lead technical direction and execution for the world modelling domain

Own the research and development roadmap, balancing exploration with company-aligned milestones

Develop generative models that simulate physical and visual environments at scale

Work cross-functionally with infra, platform, and deployment teams to bring models into production

Stay close to the code and model design – this is a leadership and technical role

What You Bring

Expertise in generative modelling for physical/simulated/visual environments

Hands-on experience with large-scale models — video , diffusion, or multimodal models

Deep knowledge of PyTorch, PySpark, and production-level ML tooling

Proven work with temporal models, spatial reasoning, and computer vision systems

Exposure to or leadership within simulation-based training environments

A PhD in a relevant field

Publications, open-source work, or deployed models that reflect deep technical ownership

A technical lead who still writes code and builds models

Experience defining research and development

Prior work in video- or environment-based generative AI

Pragmatic and mission-aligned — sees research as a tool, not an end