Entry-Level – AI/Machine Learning Researcher

Description

The company is a large automaker. Its R&D group is hiring an early-career AI and machine learning researcher to create practical methods that speed up research, engineering and product work. The role suits someone who has recently finished, or is about to finish, a PhD and has real depth in one or more advanced AI fields and the ability to work across disciplines.

The team works on causal AI, neurosymbolic AI, world models, multimodal and generative AI, LLMs and engineering agents. You will work with senior researchers, technical fellows and engineering partners on important problems, new methods, research prototypes and validation. The emphasis is on depth, originality, experimental rigor and growth toward technical leadership. Reproducibility, explainability, uncertainty awareness and responsible AI are expected throughout.

Responsibilities

• Do original research in one or more advanced AI areas, such as causal AI, neurosymbolic AI, world models, multimodal or generative AI, or engineering agents.
• Turn engineering and science problems into clear research questions, hypotheses, algorithms and experiment plans.
• Build, implement and test machine learning models and proof-of-concepts on real, simulated, experimental or engineering data.
• Create methods that reason about physical systems, causality, uncertainty, constraints, change over time and interactions between components.
• Set up useful baselines and evaluation protocols, and study failure modes, robustness, generalization, interpretability and uncertainty, not just headline accuracy.
• Write reproducible research code, data pipelines and experiment workflows using current deep learning practice.
• Work with researchers and engineers to understand domain limits, check results and find routes from proof-of-concept to practical use.
• Report findings through reports, presentations, papers, invention disclosures, demos and clear documentation.
• Join technical discussions and roadmaps by proposing promising approaches, flagging risks and suggesting high-value experiments.
• Take part in a research culture built on curiosity, constructive peer review, responsible innovation and continuous learning.

Requirements

• Hold a PhD, or be pursuing one, in computer science, AI, machine learning, applied mathematics, statistics, computational science, engineering, physics or a closely related field.
• Show research depth in at least one relevant area through a dissertation, publications, patents, open-source work, research software or similar technical work.
• Have a solid grounding in machine learning and deep learning, plus working knowledge of optimization, probability and statistics, numerical methods or scientific computing where the research needs them.
• Have built and evaluated models in Python using PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow or comparable tools.
• Design experiments, pick suitable metrics and baselines, analyze results, and state conclusions with the right caveats.
• Communicate well in writing and speech, and work effectively with researchers, engineers and technical stakeholders.
• Be able to work full time, 40 hours per week.
• Preferred: research in causal inference, counterfactual reasoning, neurosymbolic methods or world models for engineering applications.
• Preferred: experience with multimodal AI, large language models, agentic systems, retrieval and reasoning, or AI-assisted engineering and software development.
• Preferred: evidence of research impact, such as strong publications, patents, invention disclosures, open-source contributions, awards or successful technology demonstrations.
• Preferred: research or internship experience in automotive, mobility, aerospace, industrial, energy, defense, national laboratory or university-industry collaboration settings.

Conditions

The role is hybrid. You will be expected to be on site in Mountain View, CA at least three times per week, or more often if the business requires it.

Work on site or in a hybrid research setting, following company work practices and project needs.

The company does not offer immigration sponsorship for this role. Do not apply if you will need company immigration sponsorship now or later, including direct sponsorship, the company acting as employer of record on a government form, or any work authorization that requires a written submission or other immigration support from the company, such as H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN or J-1.

The role is subject to export control rules, so you must be a U.S. Person: a U.S. citizen, a U.S. permanent resident, an asylee or a refugee.

The base salary range is $128,000 to $279,000. The actual offer will depend on job-related factors and the location of the selected candidate, and the range is a good faith estimate under applicable state law.

Candidates may be asked to complete a role-related assessment and or a pre-employment screening before starting.

The company is committed to an inclusive, non-discriminatory workplace and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.

Benefits

• An incentive pay program pays out based on company performance, job level and individual performance.
• Health and wellbeing benefits include medical, dental and vision cover, a Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, a retirement savings plan, life insurance, paid vacation and holidays, tuition assistance, an employee assistance program and vehicle discounts, among others.
• Support for your wellbeing at work and at home starts from day one.