Lead AI Researcher (Hybrid)

Aimlroles; Milpitas (CA); Hybrid; USD 216,000 - 281,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco AI Research is seeking a Lead AI Researcher to architect proprietary intelligence for networking, security, and observability. You will lead end-to-end pre-training initiatives and bridge research with production-ready solutions.

You will collaborate across engineering and strategy teams, publish in top venues, and shape models at Cisco's massive scale while focusing on security requirements.

Qualifications

• PhD, or Master/BS with extensive STEM research experience in AI.
• At least one full-cycle pre-training or continual pre-training project for an LLM.
• 3+ peer-reviewed publications in top AI venues.
• 3+ years using PyTorch or TensorFlow on distributed GPU clusters.
• Experience applying ML to networking, data center, security or observability.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of purpose-built large language models for Cisco's infrastructure.
• Drive pre-training initiatives and tokenization/training pipeline strategies.
• Advance generative AI research for networking automation and HCI.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deploy research into products.
• Publish research in top-tier AI venues and contribute to the scientific community.

Skills

Research leadership

LLM pre-training

Distributed computing

Publications in AI venues

Networking/security/observability know

Education

PhD in STEM

Master's in STEM with 8+ yrs

Bachelor's in STEM with 12+ yrs

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Distributed GPUs (100+)

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/29/2026

This is a hybrid role based out of Cisco's Seattle or San Jose office.

Meet the Team

The Cisco AI Research team is a dynamic group of scientists and engineers dedicated to building the future of proprietary intelligence. Our core mission is to develop purpose-built large language models tailored specifically for Cisco’s networking, security, and observability domains. We operate at the intersection of basic and applied research, ensuring that Cisco maintains its technological edge without reliance on external AI providers. Our team is composed of doers and experts who thrive in a collaborative environment, blending deep technical rigor with a shared passion for solving complex, real-world problems at a global scale.

Your Impact

As a Lead AI Researcher, you will serve as a foundational architect for Cisco’s proprietary intelligence, directly influencing how we secure and automate the global network. You will bridge the gap between cutting-edge generative AI research and real-world infrastructure, moving beyond standard fine-tuning to lead high-stakes, end-to-end pre-training initiatives. This role offers the unique opportunity to define the future of networking by building models that are purpose-built for Cisco’s massive scale and unique security requirements. By tackling the most complex challenges in foundation model development, you will ensure our technology remains at the forefront of the AI era, directly impacting the performance and intelligence of the world’s digital backbone.

• Lead the development of purpose-built large language models to secure and optimize Cisco’s proprietary networking, security, data center, and observability infrastructure.

• Drive advanced pre-training initiatives to build foundational models that provide unique, competitive value across our product portfolio.

• Conduct innovative research in generative AI to improve model capabilities for networking automation and human-computer interaction.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams of engineers and strategists to integrate research breakthroughs into tangible business solutions.

• Establish Cisco as a global thought leader by publishing research in top-tier AI venues and contributing to the broader scientific community.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 12+ years of experience or a Master’s degree in STEM with 8+ years of experience, or a PhD in STEM or a related technical field with 5+ years of relevant research experience,

• Experience leading or contributing to at least one full-cycle pre-training, distillation based pre-training or continual pre-training project for a Large Language Model (LLM) or foundational model, including dataset curation, tokenization strategy, and training pipeline execution.

• Minimum of 3 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier AI venues such as ACL, EMNLP, ICLR, ICML, NAACL, or NeurIPS.

• 3+ years of experience utilizing PyTorch or TensorFlow to implement and train models on distributed computing clusters (e.g., environments utilizing 100+ GPUs).

• 2+ years of experience applying machine learning models to networking, data center, security, or observability datasets to solve complex system-level problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in an industrial research lab environment, driving projects from conceptual research to practical application.

• Subject matter expertise in networking, cybersecurity, or observability, and the ability to apply AI to these complex domains.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence technical direction and build consensus among stakeholders.

• Proven ability to translate abstract research findings into innovative, scalable product features.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $216,300.00 to $280,800.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto the next

• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members

• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and

• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$216,300.00 - $322,900.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$197,500.00 - $287,300.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.