Senior AI Research Scientist

Placements24; Randburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Health benefits

Conference access

Professional development

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior AI Research Scientist to join a fully remote, world‑leading AI team. You will lead research in deep learning, NLP, CV, or RL, publish findings, and collaborate with engineers to deploy AI solutions.

The role requires a PhD and a strong publication record, with 7+ years post‑doc experience. You will mentor junior researchers, design rigorous experiments, and contribute to grant proposals while advancing state‑of‑the‑art AI from home.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, AI, ML or related field with strong research focus.
• Minimum 7 years post-doctoral research experience in AI/ML.
• Exceptional publication record in leading AI conferences and journals.
• Deep theoretical understanding and practical experience with state-of-the-art AI techniques.
• Proficiency in Python and major ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to lead research initiatives and mentor junior scientists.

Responsibilities

• Conduct fundamental and applied AI research in cutting-edge areas.
• Develop novel algorithms and models for AI applications (DL, NLP, CV, RL).
• Design and execute rigorous experiments to evaluate AI models.
• Publish findings in top-tier AI conferences and journals.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineers to deploy AI solutions.
• Stay at the forefront of AI research and engage with literature.
• Mentor junior researchers and interns on research methodologies.
• Contribute to research proposals and grant applications.
• Ensure ethical development and application of AI technologies.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Mentoring

Distributed teamwork

Research leadership

Education

PhD in Computer Science/AI/ML

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Python

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a world-renowned leader in artificial intelligence research and development, is actively seeking a Senior AI Research Scientist to join their fully remote team. This is an exceptional opportunity to work on the cutting edge of AI, contributing to transformative projects from your home office. The successful candidate will spearhead innovative research in areas such as deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, or reinforcement learning. As a remote-first organization, we provide a highly collaborative virtual environment, empowering our researchers with the resources and autonomy to make significant scientific contributions. This role is ideal for an independent, driven individual who thrives in a dynamic research landscape and is passionate about pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI. We are committed to fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning, ensuring our remote team members have all the support they need to excel in their work, irrespective of their physical location.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct fundamental and applied research in cutting-edge areas of Artificial Intelligence.
• Develop novel algorithms and models for AI applications, focusing on areas like deep learning, NLP, computer vision, or reinforcement learning.
• Design and execute rigorous experiments to evaluate and validate AI models.
• Publish research findings in top-tier AI conferences and journals.
• Collaborate with other researchers and engineers to implement and deploy AI solutions.
• Stay at the forefront of AI research by actively engaging with the scientific community and literature.
• Mentor junior researchers and interns, providing guidance on research methodologies.
• Contribute to the development of research proposals and grant applications.
• Ensure the ethical development and application of AI technologies.

Requirements

• PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field with a strong research focus.
• Minimum of 7 years of post-doctoral research experience in AI/ML.
• Exceptional publication record in leading AI conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL) and journals.
• Deep theoretical understanding and practical experience with state-of-the-art AI techniques.
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python and experience with major ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a distributed team.
• Demonstrated ability to lead research initiatives and mentor junior scientists.
• Experience in one or more specific AI sub-fields (NLP, CV, RL, etc.).

Benefits

As a fully remote position, we offer unparalleled flexibility and the opportunity to work from anywhere. Our client provides a highly competitive salary, excellent health benefits, and generous paid time off. We invest in our employees' professional development with opportunities to attend leading AI conferences, access to cutting-edge computational resources, and continuous learning platforms. You will be part of a world-class research team, pushing the frontiers of AI and making a significant impact on the field, all within a supportive and collaborative virtual environment.