Senior AI Research Scientist — LLMs & Agent Systems

Fdetimes; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Perplexity is seeking top-tier AI Research Scientists and Engineers to advance our AI products and capabilities. You will work on Sonar models, Deep Research Agent, Comet Agent, and Search products, shaping state-of-the-art experiences for hundreds of millions of queries.

You will own end-to-end experimentation, model training, and integration with the product stack. Join one of three teams—Core Research, Agent Products, or Comet Agent—and push the boundaries of scalable AI while collaborating

Qualifications

• Experience with large-scale LLMs and deep learning systems.
• Strong programming in Python and PyTorch; versatility preferred.
• Experience with post-training techniques and reinforcement learning.
• Self-starter with ownership mindset and problem-solving drive.
• 2–6 years of relevant project experience depending on seniority.

Responsibilities

• Research and develop base models powering Perplexity products.
• Post-train SOTA LLMs and improve model performance across Sonar, Deep Research, Comet, and Search products.
• Stay current with LLM research, focusing on training, optimization, and personalization techniques.
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to translate research into product features.

Skills

Large-scale LLMs

Python/PyTorch

Reinforcement learning

Self-starter

Ownership

Education

PhD in ML or related

Tools

Megatron/PyTorch

Post-training frameworks

Job description

Perplexity is seeking top-tier AI Research Scientists and Engineers to advance our AI products and capabilities. You will work on Sonar models, Deep Research Agent, Comet Agent, and Search products, shaping state-of-the-art experiences for hundreds of millions of queries.

You will own end-to-end experimentation, model training, and integration with the product stack. Join one of three teams—Core Research, Agent Products, or Comet Agent—and push the boundaries of scalable AI while collaborating