Staff Applied Scientist, Firefly Foundry

Adobe Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 211,800 - 306,625; Full time

Job summary

Adobe Inc. is looking for a Staff Applied Scientist to innovate in large-scale generative AI, focusing on image and video generation. You will conduct research, develop models, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance Adobe products.

The ideal candidate holds a Ph.D. or MS with extensive industry experience and expertise in Python, PyTorch, and ML tools. This position offers competitive compensation and the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field, with 8+ years industry experience.
• Extensive practical experience in large-scale generative AI training focusing on image and video.
• Strong publication record in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Conduct innovative research on large-scale generative AI models for image/video synthesis.
• Develop and evaluate advanced techniques for conditional generation and editing.
• Collaborate with teams to translate multimodal innovations into Adobe products.

Skills

Large-scale generative AI training

Python

PyTorch

Collaboration

Education

Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field

Tools

ML infrastructure tools

Job description

The Opportunity

Firefly Foundry is Adobe's enterprise managed-service offering for custom multimedia generative AI - deep-tuned image, video, and 3D models built on each customer's IP, paired with creative production workflows and a media-intelligence layer, and deployed across new and existing Adobe surfaces. The business has gained significant traction in Media & Entertainment, marketing, and consumer retail, and is expanding rapidly into adjacent verticals.

We are especially looking for candidates experienced in large-scale, industry-level pre-training and mid-training of multi-modality generative models. This role has a direct impact on the quality of Adobe's image and video generation models, supporting next-generation creative workflows for millions of users.

As a Staff Applied Scientist at Adobe, you will join a world-class team of applied researchers and engineers building the future of digital experiences - innovating across the full training stack, collaborating across data, modeling, and product, and shipping your work to customers worldwide.

What You'll Do

• Conduct innovative research and development in training large-scale generative AI models for image and video synthesis.
• Develop, implement, and rigorously evaluate advanced techniques for conditional generation and editing - with emphasis on improving instruction compliance, controllability, and visual quality in pre-trained models.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with researchers, engineers, and product teams to translate multimodal innovations into scalable downstream applications within Adobe products.
• Develop and maintain robust evaluation pipelines to assess generative models across quality, efficiency, robustness, and safety metrics.
• Translate research concepts and published work into production-ready implementations using Python and modern ML frameworks.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field, with 8+ years industry experience.
• Extensive practical experience in large-scale generative AI training with a focus on image and video generation and editing.
• Familiarity with diffusion models, transformers, or other state-of-the-art generative architectures.
• Strong coding and prototyping skills in Python, PyTorch, and ML infrastructure tools.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams.
• Experience working with product teams on technology transfers.
• Strong publication record in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related fields.

What You'll Bring

• Experience on large-scale generative model training
• Experience on synthetic data generation
• Experience of working with large-scale datasets
• Experience of working with product teams on technology transfers

Expected Pay Range

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $172,500 -- $306,625 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

In California, the pay range for this position is $211,800 - $306,625.

In Washington, the pay range for this position is $201,000 - $291,150.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.