Research Engineer

Nace.AI; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative AI research firm in Palo Alto is seeking an AI Researcher specializing in Language Models. The role involves developing advanced architectures for large language models and vision-language models. Candidates should have direct experience with LLMs or VLMs and a solid academic foundation in Natural Language Processing or Machine Learning. Applicants with a Ph.D. and strong programming skills in Python are highly preferred. This is a full-time position requiring on-site presence in California.

Qualifications

• Direct experience with LLMs or VLMs in research or production settings.
• Strong background in NLP, Machine Learning, or related fields.
• Ability to communicate research findings to diverse audiences.
• Proficient in Python and deep learning frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Develop novel architectures for dynamic model adaptation.
• Advance the performance of LLMs and VLMs.
• Communicate breakthroughs to research and engineering teams.

Skills

Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs)

Natural Language Processing

Machine Learning

Python programming

Deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow)

Model optimization

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Location

Palo Alto, CA

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

On-site

Department

Engineering

Role Overview

We are seeking an AI Researcher specializing in Language Models to join our dynamic team advancing the frontiers of large language models and vision-language models. The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience with LLMs or VLMs, particularly in adaptive learning approaches using meta‑learning and hypernetworks. This role involves developing novel architectures for dynamic model adaptation, improving model reasoning and generalization, and effectively communicating breakthroughs to both research and engineering teams.

Minimum Qualifications

• Direct experience working with Large Language Models (LLMs) or Vision‑Language Models (VLMs) in research or production settings.
• Strong research background in Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, or related disciplines with focus on language modeling.
• Proven track record in solving complex problems in language understanding, generation, or multimodal AI using rigorous quantitative methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to clearly communicate research findings to diverse technical audiences.
• Proficient programming skills in Python and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow), with experience in distributed training and model optimization.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or closely related field with focus on language models and adaptive learning systems.
• Proven research and engineering experience with LLMs/VLMs, particularly in meta‑learning or parameter‑efficient adaptation, as evidenced by grants, fellowships, patents, internships, or contributions to open‑source projects.
• First‑authored publications on language models, meta‑learning, hypernetworks, or adaptive AI in recognized peer‑reviewed conferences (ACL, EMNLP, NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR) or journals.

Preferred Technical Experience

• Research expertise in LLM reasoning, hypernetworks, multi‑task learning, meta‑learning, designing novel LLM adaptation methods, Online Continual Learning.