Senior Research Scientist | Voice AI

DeepL; City Of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company specializing in AI is seeking a Senior Research Scientist to innovate in real-time voice translation systems. Candidates should have a PhD and experience with large-scale deep learning models. The role involves building state-of-the-art AI models and collaborating with a diverse team to enhance product capabilities. The company offers competitive benefits, including 30 days of annual leave and virtual shares in the company's success.

Benefits

30 days of annual leave

Virtual Shares

Monthly Hack Fridays

Competitive benefits

Regular in-person team events

Open communication and feedback

Qualifications

• Strong practical background in research.
• Experience with large-scale deep learning models.
• Solid mathematical foundation.

Responsibilities

• Build and deploy custom AI models for voice translation.
• Train neural networks at scale on dedicated GPU clusters.
• Optimize voice AI technology for low-latency environments.

Skills

Python

Deep learning

Machine learning frameworks

Mathematics

Research project leadership

English proficiency

Education

PhD in mathematics, physics, computer science or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

JAX

Job description

The Opportunity: Define the Future of Real-Time Voice Communication

The Voice team is at the heart of DeepL's next chapter. We are a dedicated group of experts across Research, Engineering, Product, and Design, on a mission to solve the art of the possible for real-time voice translation. After launching our first breakthrough features in late 2024, we are scaling rapidly, targeting major meeting platforms, real-time communication channels, and a powerful Public API.

We're looking for a seasoned Senior Research Scientist to help us tackle foundational challenges in this competitive and dynamic field. This isn't just an academic exercise; it's a chance to see your research deployed into products loved by millions worldwide. You will leverage our cutting‑edge resources, including massive proprietary datasets and one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers, to build the next generation of speech translation systems.

Your Challenge & Responsibilities

As a senior member of the team, you will move beyond incremental improvements and drive foundational innovation.

You will:

• Build and deploy custom, state‑of‑the‑art AI models for transcription, voice translation, text‑to‑speech generation, and other challenging audio and text modalities.

• Train state‑of‑the‑art neural networks at scale on DeepL's dedicated GPU clusters, pushing the boundaries of model performance and efficiency.

• Aggressively optimize our end‑to‑end voice AI technology for demanding, low‑latency production environments where every millisecond counts.

• Work collaboratively within a large, world‑class tech organization, integrating your research with a strong support structure of ML Platform, HPC, and DevOps teams to ship your work to millions.

• Lead research initiatives that advance our core understanding of neural networks and their mathematical optimization, directly impacting our product's quality and capabilities.

• Participate in our on‑call rotation: You’ll ensure the reliability and availability of our services by being available to join the team's shared on‑call rotation as needed.

Qualities We Look For

• We are seeking a researcher with a strong practical background, a creative mindset, and a passion for solving hard problems with real‑world impact.

• You have a solid mathematical background and enjoy solving challenging problems, evidenced by a PhD or equivalent industry experience in mathematics, physics, computer science, or a related field.

• Proven experience building and shipping large‑scale deep learning models to production environments.

• Deep practical experience in Python and at least one modern machine learning framework such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.

• A track record of leading self‑directed research projects that go well beyond academic exercises and deliver tangible results.

• High proficiency in English; knowledge of German or other languages is a plus.

What we offer

• Diverse and internationally distributed team: joining our team means becoming part of a large, global community with people of more than 90 nationalities. We're more than just colleagues; we're a group of professionals with a shared mission to connect diverse cultures. Our global presence is growing–we've doubled in size nearly every year, with our employees based in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the US, and Japan, and we continue to expand our network.

• Open communication, regular feedback: as a language‑focused company, we value the importance of clear, honest communication. We value smooth collaboration, direct and actionable feedback, and believe that leading with empathy and growth mindset makes us better together.

• Regular in‑person team events: we bond over vibrant events that are as unique as our team, from local team and business unit gatherings, to new‑joiner onboardings, to company‑wide events that bring us all together–literally.

• Monthly full‑day hacking sessions: every month, we have Hack Fridays, where you can spend your time diving into a project you're passionate about and get the opportunity to work with other teams–we value your initiatives, impact, and creativity.

• 30 days of annual leave: we value your peace of mind. With 30 days off (excluding public holidays) and access to mental health resources, we make sure you're as strong mentally as you are professionally.

• Competitive benefits: just as our team spans the globe, so does our benefits package. We've crafted it to reflect the diversity of our team and tailored it to align with your unique location, to ensure you feel supported every step of the way.

• Virtual Shares: An ownership mindset in every role. We believe everyone should share in our success, and that’s why every employee receives Virtual Shares, linking your contribution directly to DeepL’s growth and rewarding you with a stake in our future.

We are an equal opportunity employer

You are welcome at DeepL for who you are—we appreciate authenticity here. Our product is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all succeed, contribute, and think forward! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our diversity that we will find the power to break down language barriers in the world.