Research Scientist (R37)

R1 RCM, Inc.; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 2,313,000 - 4,461,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top‑of‑market compensation

Bonus plan 10%

Flexible PTO

401(k) matching

Job summary

R1 RCM, Inc. seeks a Research Scientist to advance applied AI in healthcare by developing novel machine learning approaches and evaluating models on large healthcare datasets.

You will design experiments, iterate on models, and collaborate with engineering and product teams to deploy research into production. You will explore explainable AI, reinforcement learning, RAG, and long-context retrieval, using PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX, with distributed computing platforms.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS or related field.
• 3+ years of industry research experience (postdoc may count).
• Expertise with ML models and architectures using PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
• Research in interpretability, RL, RAG, or long-context retrieval.
• Experience training large-scale models on distributed platforms like Ray or PyTorch Lightning.
• Proven publication record at top ML/AI/healthcare venues.

Responsibilities

• Conduct applied research in explainable AI, RL, RAG, and long-context retrieval.
• Design, train, and evaluate novel ML models on large healthcare data.
• Collaborate with ML Engineering, ML Ops, and Product teams to productionize research.
• Build end-to-end research prototypes and validation methodologies with measurable impact.

Skills

PhD in CS

3+ years industry research

PyTorch

TensorFlow

JAX

Explainable AI

Reinforcement learning

RAG

Long-context retrieval

Ray distributed computing

PyTorch Lightning

Publications in AI/ML

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Ray

FSDP

PyTorch Lightning

Job description

At R1, we’re transforming how healthcare works by combining nearly two decades of revenue cycle expertise with advanced technology, including analytics, AI, intelligent automation and workflow orchestration. We pair that technology with the irreplaceable expertise of our people to help hospitals, health systems and medical groups improve financial performance, simplify administrative complexity and create better experiences for patients and providers.

All Together Better defines our culture and the way we work. We’re a diverse, global team united by a shared mission to make healthcare work better for all. Across technology, operations and support functions, our people bring deep expertise, empathy and ingenuity to the work we do. Here, collaboration fuels progress, adaptability sparks innovation and every voice can help shape what’s next for R1 and the future of healthcare.

About R37

R37 is R1’s AI innovation lab, building technology to transform healthcare.

Our flagship platform, Phare OS, uses AI and automation to improve critical pre-bill workflows, including authorization, utilization management, documentation and coding. By identifying and resolving issues before claims are submitted, Phare OS helps prevent denials, improve reimbursement and move revenue cycle work upstream.

What makes R37 different is the opportunity to build advanced AI at real-world scale. R1 works across 95 of the top 100 U.S. health systems, giving R37 access to the data, workflows and reach needed to make an immediate impact:

• 180M+ claims
• 1.2B+ workflow actions and outcomes annually

This is startup-level ownership with enterprise-level impact. You’ll build technology that moves from idea to real healthcare environments, solving complex problems at scale and changing how healthcare works.

As our Research Scientist, you will help advance the state of applied AI in healthcare by developing novel machine learning approaches that improve how intelligent systems reason, retrieve information, and explain decisions. Every day, you will design and run experiments on large-scale healthcare datasets, develop and evaluate cutting‑edge models, and collaborate with engineering and product teams to bring research innovations into production. To thrive in this role, you must be deeply grounded in machine learning research, enjoy working hands‑on with production systems, and be excited about turning breakthrough ideas into measurable real‑world impact.

Here’s what you will experience working as a Research Scientist:

• Conducting applied research in areas such as explainable AI, reinforcement learning, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), and long‑context information retrieval.
• Designing, training, and evaluating novel machine learning models using large‑scale healthcare data and distributed computing infrastructure.
• Partnering closely with ML Engineering, ML Ops, and Product teams to move research innovations from concept to production.
• Building end‑to‑end research prototypes, experimentation frameworks, and validation methodologies that deliver measurable business and user impact.

Required Skills

• PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Informatics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• 3+ years of industry research experience (postdoctoral experience may be considered equivalent).
• Expertise developing machine learning models and architectures using frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
• Demonstrated research experience in one or more of the following areas: interpretability, reinforcement learning, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), or long‑context information retrieval.
• Experience training and evaluating large‑scale machine learning models on distributed computing platforms such as Ray, FSDP, or PyTorch Lightning.
• Proven publication record at top‑tier machine learning, AI, or healthcare AI conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, EMNLP, MLHC, or CHIL.

We are looking for candidates at various levels, ranging from Level 2 to Staff

• L2: Independently delivers a complete end‑to‑end project, owning design, implementation, and delivery of scoped work (Compensation Range for L2: $140k – $200k)
• L3: Leads delivery of larger projects, handling increased technical complexity and ambiguity, providing light guidance to L2s on shared work (Compensation Range for L3: $140k – $253k)
• Senior: Team Lead responsible for managing a portfolio of projects that contribute to major technical initiatives. (Compensation Range for Senior: $140k – $294k)
• Staff: Impact at the organizational level. Responsible for leading multiple teams or multiple broad initiatives simultaneously, ensuring that high‑level technical goals are met across the entire organization. (Compensation Range Staff: $140k – $350k)
• Top‑of‑market compensation, including bonus that starts at 10%
• Flexible PTO
• 401(k) matching

For this US-based position, the base pay range is $140,000.00 – $270,000.00 per year . Individual pay is determined by role, level, location, job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

This job is eligible to participate in our annual bonus plan at a target of 10.00%

The healthcare system is always evolving — and it’s up to us to use our shared expertise to find new solutions that can keep up. On our growing team you’ll find the opportunity to constantly learn, collaborate across groups and explore new paths for your career.

Our associates are given the chance to contribute, think boldly and create meaningful work that makes a difference in the communities we serve around the world. We go beyond expectations in everything we do. Not only does that drive customer success and improve patient care, but that same enthusiasm is applied to giving back to the community and taking care of our team — including offering a