Research Scientist

WHO WE ARE

Our mission is to make the world programmable. Sight is one of the key ways we understand the world, and soon this will be true for the software we use, too.

We’re building the tools, community, and resources needed to make the world programmable with artificial intelligence. The company simplifies building and using computer vision models. Today, over 1M+ developers, including those from half the Fortune 100, use the company’s machine learning open source and hosted tools. That includes counting cells to accelerate cancer research, improving construction site safety, digitizing floor plans, preserving coral reef populations, guiding drone flight, and much more.

Our team is small relative to our impact, and we believe our user success is our success (not the inverse). A team member summarized: “the company is a company full of giant brains and tiny egos.” We find software has a multiplier effect on all roles (not only product and engineering), so the company employs developers across the company in design, sales, customer support, marketing, and beyond.

We’re supported by great customers and investors, having raised over 63 million from Google Ventures, Y Combinator, Craft Ventures, Sam Altman, Lachy Groom, amongst other leading software investors.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Research Scientist, you will originate and drive the novel machine learning research directions that shape the company's research agenda. Because of the company’s huge userbase, we have a unique visibility into how people are using computer vision in the real world, including in what circumstances existing methods are unable to solve user problems.

Our Research Team’s mission is to introduce novel methods that generalize as well as possible across our userbase. This includes methods that learn well on diverse data, run efficiently on different hardware targets, and solve unique categories of problems. You will identify the most promising open problems in computer vision, develop original theoretical approaches and algorithms to address them, and publish your work at top conferences. You'll partner closely with our engineering team, who will take your research and translate it into production systems running at scale.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a pragmatic, experienced machine learning researcher who wants to be an important part of an exceptional team that focuses on using the company's computer vision tools to impact and improve every industry. You have high agency and a bias toward action.

• Masters / PhD in AI, machine learning, computer vision, robotics, or similar technical field of study, or equivalent industry experience

• History of publication at conferences / journals (CVPR, NeurIPS, ICLR, etc.)

• Deep understanding of ML theory and a track record of turning open problems into novel, well-formed research directions

• Values scientific rigour and reproducibility

• Passionate about computer vision and solving problems users value

• Pragmatic approach to utility in practice (not just in theory)

• Cares about open source and the broader research/developer ecosystem

• Writes and communicates clearly — able to explain your work to the scientific community, the developer community, and non-research stakeholders inside the company

Preferred but not required

• Familiarity with the practical constraints of optimizing models for edge hardware and training models on distributed infrastructure

• Experience collaborating with engineering teams to move research from prototype to production

WHERE YOU'LL WORK

The company’s team is distributed across the world. We currently have Hubs in New York City, San Francisco, and Brazil (and plan to open more as we grow density in new cities). We provide opportunities (like team onsites in different cities) and resources [link for members] (like a $4000/yr travel stipend) to work in person with other team members as much as you'd like, while also supporting remote team members. You can work from one of our Hubs (we offer a relocation bonus), work from home, work at co-working spaces, etc. We want you to work where you work best!

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE

To determine your salary, we use a number of market and data-driven salary sources. We review all salaries every six months to ensure we stay in line with the market.

💰 The target compensation for this role is $168,000 - $255,000 base. Range is based on location and level.

📈 In addition to our cash compensation, we offer generous perks and benefits. Below are some of the highlights:

• $4000/yr Travel Stipend to travel anywhere anytime to work alongside other Roboflowers

• Cover up to 100% of your health insurance costs for you and your partner or family

• $350/mo Productivity stipend to spend on things that make your work environment more productive, like high-speed internet at home or a co-working space

• $350/mo AI Stipend

• $500 one time home office stipend

• $150/mo Team lunch stipend

• Unlimited PTO - with an annual 2 week minimum, we encourage you to take time off for yourself

• 12 weeks parental leave

• Equity in the company so we are all invested in the future of computer vision

INTERVIEW PROCESS (~4.5 HOURS)

Below is the interview process you can expect for this role. We’re committed to building an exceptional team and aim to be thoughtful while also moving quickly. We respect your time and strive to make decisions efficiently, depending on scheduling and availability.

You’ll have several conversations with the hiring manager, a member of the company leadership team, and complete a role-relevant project or challenge.

Throughout the process, you’ll speak directly with team members about what it’s like to work and succeed at the company. Below is the interview process you can expect for this role.

Before the Interview

• We’ll review your application, LinkedIn, Github, Google Scholar, etc.

• The best way to stand out is to write about something you’ve built with the company or contribute to one of our open source projects [link for members]

Introduction Phase

• [30m] Meet with hiring manager to assess for overall mindset and skillset

• [1h30m] Technical Assessment

• Prior Research Deep Dive

• Software Fundamentals

• Math Question

Team Interview Phase

• [30m] Meet with another member of the team.

Build with the company Phase

• You will build a small project with the company to showcase your creativity and technical skills.

• [30m] Meet with our CTO, Brad Dwyer, for another interview and to demo your project

Final Interview Stage

• [60m] Meet with hiring manager again

• Use this time to review specifics about the job description

• Begin working through your 30/60/90 projects

• Ask questions!

• [30m] Leadership conversation focused on culture and company vision (if needed)

• [30m] Additional leadership discussion to discuss culture

References

• References are required as part of our process. We will reach out to coordinate timing.

Note: you are welcome to request additional conversations with anyone you would like to meet and we will accommodate as best we can.

Not sure if this is you?

We want a diverse, global team with a broad range of experience and perspectives. We carefully consider every application and will either move forward with you, find another team that might be a better fit, keep in touch for future opportunities, or thank you for your time.

Learn More About Us

At the company, we believe great ideas come from everywhere, and everyone. We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.