Research Scientist – Multimodal Foundation Models

Mecka; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Mecka AI in San Francisco is seeking an experienced Research Scientist to advance large-scale multimodal foundation models. You will tackle research problems across model training, post-training, reinforcement learning, and multimodal reasoning, translating breakthroughs into practical capabilities.

You will work across the model development lifecycle from data strategies to evaluation, leveraging distributed training and open-weight models to push state-of-the-art in vision-language

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience researching, training, fine-tuning, or post-training large-scale foundation models, particularly vision-language or multimodal models.
• Strong understanding of deep learning architectures, optimization techniques, and modern model training methodologies.
• Experience with supervised fine-tuning (SFT), preference optimization, or reinforcement learning approaches such as DPO, GRPO, PPO, or RLHF.

Responsibilities

• Multimodal Model Research: Research, develop, and improve vision-language models and multimodal foundation-model architectures.
• Post-Training & Reinforcement Learning: Design and implement advanced training strategies, including supervised fine-tuning, preference optimization, and reinforcement learning, to improve model capabilities.
• Model Performance & Optimization: Investigate approaches to improve reasoning, generalization, reliability, and training efficiency.
• Data Quality & Training: Develop strategies for data curation, filtering, and synthetic data generation to improve training outcomes.
• Evaluation & Benchmarking: Design experiments, evaluation frameworks, and benchmarks to measure model performance, identify failure modes, and guide research priorities.
• Large-Scale Experimentation: Work with distributed training infrastructure and large-scale datasets to support research and model development.
• Research Innovation: Explore emerging approaches in multimodal learning, model alignment, and foundation-model training.

Skills

Vision-language research

Multimodal learning

Deep learning

Research instincts

Experiment design

Independent project leadership

Tools

PyTorch

JAX

Job description

About Mecka AI

Mecka AI is building the data infrastructure layer for robotics and embodied AI.

About Mecka AI

Mecka AI is building the data infrastructure layer for robotics and embodied AI.

We design and operate global systems for data capture, data labeling, and hardware-enabled workflows used by leading AI labs and robotics companies to train and validate humanoid and embodied AI systems.

We work closely with frontier robotics teams to bridge real-world data, simulation, learning-based systems, and deployed hardware.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced Research Scientist to advance the capabilities of large-scale vision-language and multimodal foundation models.

You’ll work on challenging research problems spanning model training, post-training, reinforcement learning, and multimodal reasoning. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys experimenting with cutting-edge approaches, improving model performance, and translating research breakthroughs into real-world capabilities.

You’ll have the opportunity to work across the model development lifecycle, from data and training strategies to evaluation and optimization, helping push the boundaries of what multimodal AI systems can understand and accomplish.

What You’ll Do

• Multimodal Model Research: Research, develop, and improve vision-language models and multimodal foundation-model architectures.
• Post-Training & Reinforcement Learning: Design and implement advanced training strategies, including supervised fine-tuning, preference optimization, and reinforcement learning, to improve model capabilities.
• Model Performance & Optimization: Investigate approaches to improve reasoning, generalization, reliability, and training efficiency.
• Data Quality & Training: Develop strategies for data curation, filtering, and synthetic data generation to improve training outcomes.
• Evaluation & Benchmarking: Design experiments, evaluation frameworks, and benchmarks to measure model performance, identify failure modes, and guide research priorities.
• Large-Scale Experimentation: Work with distributed training infrastructure and large-scale datasets to support research and model development.
• Research Innovation: Explore emerging approaches in multimodal learning, model alignment, and foundation-model training.

What You Bring

Must Have

• Hands-on experience researching, training, fine-tuning, or post-training large-scale foundation models, particularly vision-language or multimodal models.
• Strong understanding of deep learning architectures, optimization techniques, and modern model training methodologies.
• Practical experience with supervised fine-tuning (SFT), preference optimization, or reinforcement learning approaches such as DPO, GRPO, PPO, or RLHF.
• Strong proficiency in Python and PyTorch, JAX, or comparable deep learning frameworks.
• Experience designing, executing, and analyzing large-scale machine learning experiments.
• Familiarity with distributed training systems and GPU-based model development.
• Strong research instincts, analytical problem-solving skills, and the ability to independently drive complex technical projects.
• Experience working with open-weight multimodal foundation models.
• Research publications on top-tier journals/conferences, open-source contributions, or experience within leading AI research organizations.

Nice to Have

• Experience with large-scale model post-training and reinforcement learning for reasoning or alignment.
• Familiarity with multimodal data pipelines involving images, video, or other sensory inputs.
• Experience with reward modeling, synthetic data generation, or advanced model evaluation.
• Experience improving model capabilities through innovations in training strategies, data quality, or model architecture.

We strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, we will partner with you to meet your needs.

We may use AI-assisted tools to help evaluate applications against the requirements of this role. These tools support our recruiting team in identifying qualified candidates but do not replace human judgment or limit which applications may be reviewed or considered.

Compensation Range: $185K - $210K