Staff AI Research Engineer

Duolingo; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 221,000 - 331,000; Full time

Job summary

Duolingo is seeking an experienced AI Research Engineer to join the Monetization team. You will contribute to bandit models and large-scale neural networks, bridging research and product to balance revenue and retention while maintaining educational goals.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure model outputs align with company objectives and drive strategic decisions. You will work with frontend, backend, and other AI engineers, mentor colleagues, and stay current with

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an AI research engineer in LLMs, bandits, CV or related fields.
• Strong background in training and fine-tuning large models in an applied setting.
• Advanced degree in CS/Engineering with focus on ML/AI or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Join a full-stack team of frontend, backend, and other AI Research engineers.
• Contribute to the development and training of bandit models and large-scale neural network models.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align the models’ outputs with company objectives.
• Participate in and help drive strategic product and business decision-making as a member of the Monetization leadership group.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in machine learning, particularly in LLMs and bandits, and apply this knowledge to drive advancements in our projects.
• Mentor team members, providing guidance and support in their professional development.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable, and efficient machine learning solutions.

Skills

LLMs

Bandits

Leadership

Education

MS/PhD in CS/Engineering

Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about finding innovative solutions to complex technical problems , running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world-class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes — while doing work that’s both fun and meaningful.

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced AI Research Engineer to join our Duolingo Monetization team. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record as an AI research engineer, with extensive experience across various machine learning techniques including large language models, multi-armed bandits, and more. They will have experience at all levels of the ML stack, including feature engineering, developing training data, fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, quality evaluations, deployment, and monitoring. On the Monetization team, we’re building AI systems to improve the learning experience while driving our business, including deploying our research into bandit models to balance revenue and retention. Given the broad set of AI domains, broad experience in AI/ML is highly desirable.

• Join a full-stack team of frontend, backend, and other AI Research engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Contribute to the development and training of bandit models and large-scale neural network models.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand their needs, to align the models’ outputs with company objectives.
• Participate in and help drive strategic product and business decision-making as a member of the Monetization leadership group.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in machine learning, particularly in LLMs and bandits, and apply this knowledge to drive advancements in our projects.
• Mentor team members, providing guidance and support in their professional development.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable, and efficient machine learning solutions.

You have

• Proven experience as an AI research engineer, for example, in LLMs, bandits, computer vision, or related fields.
• Strong background in training and fine-tuning large models in an applied setting.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field with a focus on machine learning or artificial intelligence, or equivalent experience.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to manage and inspire a team.
• Deep understanding of machine learning concepts, frameworks, and best practices.

Benefits

Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.

Accommodations

We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [e-mail].

Equal Employment Opportunity

Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Salary Range

$220,800 — $331,200 USD

Salary Information

The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons. The posted range is subject to change in the future. For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!

AI in Hiring

Duolingo uses AI technology to assist in our hiring process. We want to be transparent about how we use this technology and your rights. We use Greenhouse Software's Talent Matching feature to assist with reviewing applications for the skills and experience we have decided are important for this role.

How it works

• Talent Matching reviews your resume and responses to application questions to determine the extent to which your qualifications match the job requirements selected for this role. These requirements and their desired weighting are established by our recruiters in collaboration with hiring managers.
• All Talent Matching output is reviewed by our recruiting and hiring teams, who make the final decision on each application. Talent Matching does not automatically disposition any candidate or make hiring decisions.

Voluntary Self Identification

To fulfill our mission of developing the best education in the world and making it universally available, we seek exceptional talent for every role. We recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds. To help us evaluate our hiring process for equitability, we invite U.S. applicants to share their demographic information. Participation in this survey is voluntary and confidential. Participation will not affect any hiring decisions or outcomes.