Senior AI Research Scientist (Natural Language Processing)

Placements24; LegKraal Gate; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior AI Research Scientist specializing in NLP to lead cutting-edge research on language understanding and large language models. This fully remote role involves collaborating with a distributed team and publishing impactful results that push the boundaries of conversational AI.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD with 6+ years of NLP post-doctoral work, deep transformer expertise, and proficiency in PyTorch/TensorFlow.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS/AI/ML or related field.
• 6+ years post-doctoral NLP research with a strong publication record.
• Expertise in transformer models, attention mechanisms, and state-of-the-art NLP techniques.
• Proficiency in Python and NLP libraries (PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Experience with distributed training and hyperparameter optimization.

Responsibilities

• Conduct cutting-edge research in NLP including text generation, sentiment analysis, QA, and translation.
• Develop, train, and fine-tune large language models (LLMs) and other NLP architectures.
• Collaborate with a remote team of researchers to drive projects from conception to publication or product integration.
• Evaluate NLP models using rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Publish high-impact research papers and contribute to IP and product features.
• Mentor junior researchers and foster a vibrant remote research community.

Skills

NLP research

Transformer architectures

Python programming

Communication

Remote collaboration

Education

PhD in CS/AI/ML or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face Transformers

spaCy

NLTK

Job description

About the Role

Our client is at the forefront of developing transformative AI solutions and is seeking a highly skilled and innovative Senior AI Research Scientist specializing in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to join their fully remote research team. This role is critical for advancing state-of-the-art NLP models, contributing to groundbreaking research, and developing novel applications that leverage human language understanding. As a remote-first employee, you will collaborate with a distributed team of world-class researchers and engineers, contributing to projects that have a significant impact. The ideal candidate will have a deep theoretical understanding of NLP, hands-on experience with large language models (LLMs), and a passion for pushing the boundaries of AI research. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of conversational AI and text-based understanding from anywhere, contributing to our client's global innovation efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct cutting-edge research in Natural Language Processing, focusing on areas such as text generation, sentiment analysis, question answering, and machine translation.
• Develop, train, and fine-tune large language models (LLMs) and other NLP architectures.
• Design and implement novel algorithms and models to address complex language understanding challenges.
• Collaborate with a remote team of researchers and engineers to drive research projects from conception to publication or product integration.
• Evaluate the performance of NLP models using rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in NLP, machine learning, and artificial intelligence through literature review and conference participation.
• Author high-impact research papers for top-tier AI conferences and journals.
• Contribute to the development of intellectual property and potential product features.
• Mentor junior researchers and contribute to a vibrant, remote research community.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics, or a related field.
• Minimum of 6 years of post-doctoral research experience in NLP, with a strong publication record in leading AI conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, EMNLP).
• Deep understanding of transformer architectures, attention mechanisms, and other state-of-the-art NLP techniques.
• Proven experience working with large language models (LLMs) and deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Proficiency in Python and relevant NLP libraries (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK).
• Experience with distributed training and hyperparameter optimization for large models.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, suitable for a remote collaborative environment.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and deliver impactful results.

Benefits

Our client offers a highly competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement contributions, and generous opportunities for professional development, conference attendance, and continuous learning. As a fully remote position, employees benefit from flexibility in work location, access to cutting-edge research infrastructure, and the opportunity to collaborate with a world-class team on impactful AI research. This role is ideal for a driven researcher seeking to make a significant impact from any location.