Founding AI Research Lead - Real-World Impact at Scale

DoorDash Mexico; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 204,000 - 299,000; Full time

Job summary

DoorDash is building an AI Research organization from the ground up, hiring founding researchers who will define the team’s direction and culture. You’ll influence the research agenda, hiring, and infrastructure choices while shaping how research connects to product and operations.

You’ll work with access to proprietary marketplace data, large-scale compute budgets, and a pathway to production deployment. This is a rare opportunity to publish and deploy frontier research that can impact hundreds

Qualifications

• Strong research track record with first-author publications or equivalent output
• Experience leading ambitious research projects end-to-end
• Ability to identify high-impact problems and set agendas
• Builder’s instinct to work close to real systems and data
• Interest in founding-team aspects: hiring, agenda-setting, culture-building
• Excellent written and verbal communication, mentorship of researchers

Responsibilities

• Set the research agenda for one or more areas of DoorDash AI Research in collaboration with leadership
• Lead high-impact research projects from framing to publication and production deployment where appropriate
• Help build the team by interviewing, recruiting, and mentoring researchers, engineers, and fellows
• Shape the org’s culture and operating model, including publication practices and collaboration with product teams
• Partner with ML platform, product, and operations to translate findings into real-world impact

Skills

Research leadership

Problem framing

Publications track record

Mentoring & coaching

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Interviewing & hiring

Education

PhD typical (not required)

Job description

DoorDash is building an AI Research organization from the ground up, hiring founding researchers who will define the team’s direction and culture. You’ll influence the research agenda, hiring, and infrastructure choices while shaping how research connects to product and operations.

You’ll work with access to proprietary marketplace data, large-scale compute budgets, and a pathway to production deployment. This is a rare opportunity to publish and deploy frontier research that can impact hundreds