Principal AI/ML Researcher

Whoop; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 270,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

WHOOP is seeking a Principal AI Researcher to lead the Foundation AI team in Boston, MA. You will own foundation modeling workstreams and shape core AI efforts powering WHOOP’s health and performance products.

This senior role requires leading high-stakes design decisions, driving self-supervised and multimodal research to production, and influencing strategy across research, product, and engineering. Boston-based with relocation as needed.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree with extensive experience in large-scale ML and AI research.
• Track record of owning technical direction for a significant area and architectural decisions.
• Ability to translate ambiguous research directions into production impact.
• Deep expertise in modern deep learning (transformers, state space models), multimodal training, self-supervised and representation learning, RL-based post-training (PPO/DPO/GRPO), and large-scale distributed training.
• Technical authority with proven ability to multiply team output and influence senior leadership.
• Excellent communication and demonstrated publications at top-tier ML venues.

Responsibilities

• Set architectural direction for large-scale models spanning sensor data, text, biomarkers, and behavior.
• Identify research bets in self-supervised and representation learning and drive them to production capability.
• Contribute to broader AI strategy and platform standards at WHOOP and guide compute and infrastructure choices.
• Partner with research, product, and engineering to connect breakthroughs to product outcomes.
• Raise the technical bar by growing staff, reinforcing design-review norms, and acting as a force multiplier.
• Represent WHOOP's technical work externally for recruiting, partnerships, and visibility.

Skills

Large-scale ML

Transformers

Multimodal learning

Distributed training

Leadership

Publications

Communication

Education

Advanced degree (MS/PhD)

Job description

WHOOP is an advanced health and fitness wearable on a mission to unlock human performance and extend healthspan. By providing members with a deep understanding of their bodies, behaviors, and daily lives, WHOOP empowers healthier choices and peak performance.

We are seeking a Principal AI Researcher to join our Foundation AI team. This team builds the foundation models that underpin WHOOP’s next generation of intelligent, personalized, and health‑enhancing experiences. These models integrate data across wearable sensors, language, biomarkers, clinical information, and self‑reported inputs to create scalable AI systems that understand human physiology and behavior.

In this role, you'll be one of the senior technical leaders at WHOOP. You will own the technical execution of our foundation modeling workstreams and your technical judgment will shape a core part of WHOOP’s AI efforts and the products they power.

Responsibilities

• Set the architectural direction for the development of large‑scale models spanning wearable sensor data, text, biomarkers, and behavioral signals, and personally own the highest‑stakes, hardest‑to‑reverse design decisions.
• Identify which research bets in self‑supervised and representation learning are worth making, and drive the most ambiguous and unproven ones from thesis to validated, production capability.
• Contribute to the broader AI strategy and standards at WHOOP, shaping the platform, compute, and infrastructure choices the team operates on, not just working within them.
• Partner across research, product, and engineering to connect technical breakthroughs to product and business outcomes.
• Raise the technical bar across the team: grow staff and senior engineers, strengthen design‑review and evaluation norms, and act as a force multiplier.
• Represent WHOOP's technical work externally, helping with recruiting, partnerships, and visibility in the broader AI research community.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) or equivalent depth, with extensive experience in large‑scale machine learning and AI research.
• A track record of owning technical direction for a significant area and making architectural decisions whose impact outlived any single project.
• Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous, high‑risk research directions all the way to production impact and the judgment to discontinue those that will not.
• Deep expertise in modern deep learning (transformers, state space models), multimodal training, self‑supervised and representation learning, RL‑based post‑training (PPO/DPO/GRPO), and large‑scale distributed training (data, model, and context parallelism).
• A history of being a technical authority that teams defer to, and evidence of multiplying their output.
• Excellent communication and the ability to influence both the engineering bench and senior leadership.
• Publications and evidence of community building at top‑tier machine learning venues.
• Passion for WHOOP's mission to improve human performance and extend healthspan through science and technology.

Location

This role is based in the WHOOP office located in Boston, MA. The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate if necessary to work out of the Boston, MA office.

Additional Information

Interested in the role, but don’t meet every qualification? We encourage you to still apply! At WHOOP, we believe there is much more to a candidate than what is written on paper, and we value character as much as experience. As we continue to build a diverse and inclusive environment, we encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply.

WHOOP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E‑verify to determine employment eligibility. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The WHOOP compensation philosophy is designed to attract, motivate, and retain exceptional talent by offering competitive base salaries, meaningful equity, and consistent pay practices that reflect our mission and core values.

At WHOOP, we view total compensation as the combination of base salary, equity, and benefits, with equity serving as a key differentiator that aligns our employees with the long‑term success of the company and allows every member of our corporate team to own part of WHOOP and share in the company’s long‑term growth and success.

The U.S. base salary range for this full‑time position is $270,000 - $300,000. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within each range, individual pay is based on factors such as job‑related skills, experience, performance, and relevant education or training.

In addition to the base salary, the successful candidate will also receive benefits and a generous equity package.

These ranges may be modified in the future to reflect evolving market conditions and organizational needs. While most offers will typically fall toward the starting point of the range, total compensation will depend on the candidate’s specific qualifications, expertise, and alignment with the role’s requirements.