Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist

Axon; England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading safety technology company is looking for a Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist to drive the development of cutting-edge Computer Vision and Machine Learning algorithms. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, optimizing models for resource-constrained devices, and mentoring junior scientists. The ideal candidate holds a PhD and has over 8 years of relevant experience, demonstrating a strong research background. The position supports hybrid work arrangements based in England.

Benefits

Competitive salary and 401k with employer match

Discretionary paid time off

Paid parental leave

Fitness Programs

Emotional & Mental Wellness support

Snacks in the office

Qualifications

• PhD and 8+ years experience in MLLMs, computer vision, machine learning, or AI.
• Proven track record of research excellence in machine learning and computer vision.
• Strong proficiency in programming languages and deep learning frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Convert and ship CVML R&D ideas to Axon products.
• Design and implement efficient and scalable MLLM models.
• Optimize algorithms for performance and energy efficiency.

Skills

Expertise in computer vision

Strong problem-solving skills

Experience with deep learning frameworks

Strong communication skills

Education

PhD in Computer Science or a related field

Tools

Python

C/C++

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Keras

ROS

Job description

Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist

England

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast‑paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Your Impact

We are seeking multiple highly skilled and innovative Computer Vision and Machine Learning (CVML) Scientists to join our AI team as Tech Lead, focusing on turning CVML R&D ideas to product features in Cloud, Devices and Robotics. As a Tech Lead of our research and development efforts, you will play a crucial role in advancing the state‑of‑the‑art in CVML technologies and bringing technology to our customers for our cloud, devices and robotics.

You will collaborate with product managers, cross‑functional teams to design, develop, and ship cutting‑edge CVML algorithms and solutions that enable intelligent perception and understanding of visual data.

What You’ll Do

Location: Remote from England or Hybrid from office in London, England.

Reports To: Senior Director, Research Science

• Convert and Ship CVML R&D ideas to Axon Products.
• Research and develop advanced MLLMs, GenAI, and Computer Vision techniques for cloud, devices and sensors from multimodal data sources.
• Design and implement efficient and scalable MLLM models for inference and analysis of visual data.
• Explore novel approaches to address challenges in object detection, recognition, tracking, segmentation, and scene understanding.
• Optimize algorithms for performance, memory footprint, and energy efficiency to meet the requirements of resource‑constrained devices.
• Join forces with MLEs or firmware or hardware engineers to leverage hardware accelerators and optimise algorithms for specific hardware architectures.
• Evaluate the performance of MLLM models using real‑world datasets and design experiments to validate their effectiveness.
• Stay up‑to‑date with the latest research trends and advancements in computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, MLLMs, GenAI and integrate relevant findings into our projects.
• Contribute to patent disclosures, academic publications, and technical documentation to share insights and findings with the broader community.
• Experience coach and mentor junior scientists.

What You Bring

• PhD and with +8 year experience in Computer Science or a related field with a focus on MLLMs, computer vision, machine learning, or artificial intelligence.
• Proven track record of research excellence in machine learning, computer vision, robotics perception, demonstrated through publications in top‑tier conferences or journals.
• Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C/C++, experience with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras and experience with ROS or robotic operational system.
• Drive one or more phases of the ML development lifecycle: shape datasets, investigate modelling approaches and architectures, train/evaluate/tune models and implement the end‑to‑end training pipeline.
• Leverage state‑of‑the‑art research to deliver high quality models enabling multiple AI projects at scale.
• Contribute back to the research community via academic publications, tech blogs, open‑source code and contributing to internal/external AI challenges.
• Experience in developing computer vision algorithms for resource‑constrained devices such as mobile phones, IoT devices, or embedded systems is highly desirable.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills, analytical thinking, and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to effectively present complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long‑term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well‑being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [e-mail]. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.