Applied AI Researcher, Foundation Models & Production

Capital One; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 286,000 - 327,000; Full time

Job summary

Capital One is seeking an Applied Researcher to advance AI capabilities across banking products. You will collaborate with data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to design, train, and deploy AI foundation models that power real‑time customer experiences.

The role emphasizes leadership in research threads, publication‑oriented mindset, and hands‑on development using open‑source tools and cloud platforms. You will influence business outcomes through scalable AI solutions.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS with relevant research experience in AI/ML.
• Strong publication record preferred.
• Experience with large language models or deep learning models.
• Ability to own and drive research agendas.

Responsibilities

• Partner with cross‑functional teams to deliver AI products.
• Build AI foundation models from design to deployment.
• Lead research threads bridging prototype and production ML.
• Translate complex work into tangible business goals.
• Drive high impact applied research to production-ready systems.

Skills

Cross‑functional collaboration

Applied research

Research leadership

Model evaluation

Education

PhD in Computer Science/Engineering/AI

MS in related field + 4 years experience

Tools

PyTorch

AWS Ultraclusters

HuggingFace

Lightning

Job description

Capital One is seeking an Applied Researcher to advance AI capabilities across banking products. You will collaborate with data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to design, train, and deploy AI foundation models that power real‑time customer experiences.

The role emphasizes leadership in research threads, publication‑oriented mindset, and hands‑on development using open‑source tools and cloud platforms. You will influence business outcomes through scalable AI solutions.