Lead Applied Scientist

Socket.dev; Eagan (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Work Model

Flexible Work Policies

Career Development Programs

Comprehensive Benefit Plans

Paid Volunteer Days

Mental Health Days

Job summary

Thomson Reuters is seeking a Lead Applied Scientist based in Eagan, Minnesota. You will define research strategy and lead high-impact AI/ML initiatives that shape the company's product features.

The successful candidate will have a PhD or Master’s degree and 7+ years of hands-on experience in building production systems. We offer a hybrid work model and comprehensive benefits, promoting a strong work-life balance and personal development.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in production AI systems.
• Proven ability to influence product roadmaps.
• Publications at top-tier venues in AI/ML.

Responsibilities

• Define research strategy and lead AI initiatives.
• Drive innovation in specialized domains.
• Mentor scientists and lead stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Hands-on experience with IR, NLP, ML, or GenAI systems

Experience leading cross-functional teams

Strong product mindset

Outstanding communication skills

Expertise in RAG architectures

Experience in complex professional domains

Education

PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

MLOps practices

Job description

About the Role

As a Lead Applied Scientist, you will define research strategy and lead high‑impact initiatives that shape Thomson Reuters' AI/ML roadmap across multiple product features. You will drive innovation in specialized domains such as legal reasoning, document understanding, or knowledge graphs, establishing best practices and technical vision. You will provide thought leadership internally and externally, mentoring scientists across Labs and leading stakeholder engagement. You will develop a deep understanding of customer problems and the data that informs them.

About You

You're a fit for the role if your background includes:

• PhD or Master's degree with equivalent industry experience in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field
• 7+ years of hands‑on experience building production IR, NLP, ML, or GenAI systems leveraging modern techniques
• Demonstrated experience leading through others in cross‑functional teams to deliver end‑to‑end AI capabilities
• Strong product mindset with ability to translate complex customer problems into successful AI applications
• Proven ability to demonstrate novel methods that influence product roadmaps and business outcomes
• Outstanding communication and analytical skills
• Deep expertise in RAG architectures, agentic frameworks, tool‑using systems, and evaluation methodologies
• Significant experience developing novel methods for complex professional domains such as medical, tax, or law
• Publications at top‑tier venues (ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGIR, KDD)
• Experience delivering production code with well‑managed software/MLOps practices

What's in it For You?

• Hybrid Work Model: We've adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2‑3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office‑based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
• Flexibility & Work‑Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work‑life balance.
• Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow's challenges and deliver real‑world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills‑first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI‑enabled future.
• Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company‑wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
• Culture: Globally recognized, award‑winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work‑life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
• Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro‑bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
• Making a Real‑World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug‑free workplace.

Thomson Reuters makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. If you reside in the United States and require an accommodation in the recruiting process, you may contact our Human Resources Department at [e-mail]. Disability accommodations in the recruiting process may include things like a sign language interpreter, making interview rooms accessible, providing assistive technology, or other relevant accommodations.