Research Engineer / Scientist (3D Tech Lead)

World Labs; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

World Labs is seeking a Tech Lead for 3D Modeling & Reconstruction to set technical direction and lead a small team. This hands-on leadership role combines advanced research experience with production-level delivery, guiding both research roadmaps and scalable systems that power our flagship 3D capabilities.

You will collaborate with research, engineering, and product partners to translate cutting-edge ideas into reliable, scalable features, and contribute to shaping the future of spatial

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in 3D reconstruction, 3D modeling, computer vision, graphics, or closely related fields.
• Proven track record of impactful contributions to the field through publications, open-source work, or production systems.
• Deep expertise in modern 3D modeling and reconstruction methods, incl. representation design and learning-based approaches.
• Experience leading or mentoring a small team with technical direction and delivery.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++, with production-grade systems experience.
• Hands-on experience with ML frameworks and large-scale experimentation or training pipelines.
• Understanding of how 3D modeling systems interface with data pipelines, rendering, and downstream apps.
• Comfort operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments with high-leverage decisions.
• High ownership mindset and a product-aware perspective.
• Ability to collaborate with senior peers across research and engineering and raise technical bar.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical vision and roadmap for 3D modeling and reconstruction.
• Lead design and implementation of state-of-the-art 3D modeling systems.
• Drive innovation in learning-based and optimization-based methods for robustness and scalability.
• Guide architectural decisions around 3D representations, training pipelines, and inference systems.
• Mentor a small team of research scientists/engineers with high standards.
• Own end-to-end execution from prototyping to production deployment and iteration.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to align capabilities with product needs and timelines.
• Represent the team internally and externally via publications, talks, or open-source efforts.
• Continuously evaluate emerging research and translate ideas into actionable plans.

Skills

3D reconstruction

3D modeling

Python

C++

Machine learning

Leadership

Production systems

Data pipelines

Research collaboration

Communication

Job description

About World Labs

World Labs is a frontier AI research and product company advancing spatial intelligence, the next frontier beyond large language models. Co-founded by Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Justin Johnson and Ben Mildenhall, the company is pioneering world models that perceive, generate, reason, and interact with virtual and physical worlds.

About World Labs

World Labs is a frontier AI research and product company advancing spatial intelligence, the next frontier beyond large language models. Co-founded by Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Justin Johnson and Ben Mildenhall, the company is pioneering world models that perceive, generate, reason, and interact with virtual and physical worlds.

The company's flagship product, Marble, transforms text, images, and video into fully navigable 3D worlds, unlocking applications across gaming, film, architecture, robotics, and immersive digital experiences. Backed by leading investors and with over $1B raised, World Labs is assembling a world-class team at the intersection of AI research and real-world deployment.

Role Overview

We're looking for a Tech Lead for 3D Modeling & Reconstruction to set technical direction and drive execution for our core 3D modeling efforts. This role is ideal for someone with a strong research science (RS) or research engineering (RE) background who has made meaningful contributions to the field of 3D reconstruction and/or modeling - through academic publications, widely used open-source projects, or production systems deployed at scale.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll combine deep technical expertise with the ability to guide a high-impact team, shaping both the research roadmap and the production systems that bring modern 3D modeling methods into real-world products. You'll work closely with research, engineering, and product partners to translate cutting-edge ideas into reliable, scalable capabilities.

What You Will Do

• Set the technical vision and roadmap for 3D modeling and reconstruction, balancing research exploration with product-driven milestones.


• Lead the design and implementation of state-of-the-art 3D modeling systems, spanning geometry, appearance, and scene-level representations.


• Drive innovation in modern 3D modeling approaches, including learning-based and optimization-based methods, with an eye toward robustness, scalability, and real-world data.


• Guide architectural decisions around 3D representations, training pipelines, and inference systems, ensuring they integrate cleanly with broader 3D data and rendering platforms.


• Lead and mentor a small team of research scientists and/or research engineers: providing technical guidance, setting high standards, and fostering a culture of rigor and ownership.


• Own end-to-end execution of key initiatives, from early research prototypes through production deployment and iteration.


• Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to align 3D modeling capabilities with product needs, timelines, and quality bars.


• Represent the team and its work internally and externally, including contributing to publications, technical talks, or open-source efforts where appropriate.


• Continuously evaluate emerging research and industry trends in 3D modeling and reconstruction, and translate the most promising ideas into actionable plans.

Key Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in 3D reconstruction, 3D modeling, computer vision, graphics, or closely related fields.


• A strong track record of impactful contributions to the field, demonstrated through academic publications, influential open-source work, or widely deployed industry products.


• Deep expertise in modern 3D modeling and reconstruction methods, including representation design, optimization strategies, and learning-based approaches.


• Proven experience leading or mentoring a small team, lab, or project group, with responsibility for technical direction and delivery.


• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++, with experience building both research prototypes and production-quality systems.


• Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks and large-scale experimentation or training pipelines.


• Solid understanding of how 3D modeling systems interface with data pipelines, rendering, and downstream applications.


• Comfort operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments, making high-leverage technical decisions with incomplete information.


• High ownership mindset and a product-aware perspective: you care not just about novelty, but about reliability, performance, and impact.


• Enjoy collaborating with senior peers across research and engineering, and raising the technical bar through example, mentorship, and clear technical communication.

Who You Are

• Fearless Innovator: We need people who thrive on challenges and aren't afraid to tackle the impossible.


• Resilient Builder: Impacting Large World Models isn't a sprint; it's a marathon with hurdles. We're looking for builders who can weather the storms of groundbreaking research and come out stronger.


• Mission-Driven Mindset: Everything we do is in service of creating the best spatially intelligent AI systems, and using them to empower people.


• Collaborative Spirit: We're building something bigger than any one person. We need team players who can harness the power of collective intelligence.

We're hiring the brightest minds from around the globe to bring diverse perspectives to our cutting-edge work. If you're ready to work on technology that will reshape how machines perceive and interact with the world, join us, and let's make history together.

World Labs is your launchpad.

Join us, and let's make history together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

World Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. We welcome all qualified applicants and are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process upon request.

Compensation Range: $250K - $350K