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Member of Technical Staff, Research (2026 PhD New Grad)

Fireworks AISan MateoEngineering
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Salary
$200K – $300K
Job type
Full-time
Work mode
Remote
Posted
8 Sept 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Role Overview

Fireworks AI is hiring a Member of Technical Staff for its Research team in San Mateo, with remote flexibility available. This position is tailored for recent PhD graduates who want to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world production systems.

As part of the research team, the candidate will advance generative artificial intelligence by driving foundational improvements in large language models and multimodal systems. The professional will be paired with a senior mentor, tackling complex technical challenges from day one and collaborating with leading experts in deep learning and distributed systems.

Key Responsibilities

Conduct foundational research to improve the overall efficiency, reliability, and capabilities of multimodal systems and large language models.
Design, evaluate, and implement novel optimization techniques, model architectures, and training methods.
Partner closely with engineering teams to transition early research prototypes into scalable, production-ready systems.
Evaluate empirical findings, pinpoint performance bottlenecks, and rapidly iterate to elevate model quality.
Integrate innovative ideas and emerging perspectives from doctoral studies directly into the internal research agenda.

Requirements

Hold a completed PhD within the past six months, or anticipate completion by December 2026, in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Computational Physics, or Electrical Engineering.
Demonstrate a strong research background in artificial intelligence, machine learning, physics, or a closely related area through a dissertation, research projects, or publications.
Possess practical experience in solving complex analytical problems using quantitative and analytic approaches.
Exhibit strong communication skills to present technical research to diverse audiences.
Demonstrate coding proficiency in Python, C, C++, or similar languages.
Bring hands-on experience utilizing machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.

Nice to Have

First-authored publications at prominent peer-reviewed conferences or journals like NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, or MLSys.
Previous industry research internships or meaningful open-source contributions focused on machine learning systems, model training, or inference projects.
Demonstrated research or engineering experience through patents, fellowships, grants, or coding competitions.
Familiarity with large-scale model training, inference optimization, GPU kernel development, or distributed systems.
Practical background in scaling research code past the prototype phase.

Skills and Tools

Python
PyTorch
TensorFlow
JAX
C and C++
Large Language Models (LLMs)
Multimodal Systems
Distributed Systems

Salary and Benefits

Annual base salary ranging from $200,000 to $300,000 USD.
Opportunities to tackle hard problems at the forefront of AI infrastructure, including low-latency inference and scalable model serving.
Direct ownership and impact within a fast-growing, passionate organization.
Collaborative environment working alongside world-class engineers and AI researchers.

About the Company

Fireworks is a specialized intelligence platform that allows enterprises to build, train, and deploy AI models tailored to unique data, workflows, and products. Founded by the team behind PyTorch, the Series D company is backed by prominent investors including NVIDIA, Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, and Lightspeed. Fireworks powers production artificial intelligence across hundreds of open models covering text, image, audio, embedding, and multimodal workloads.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official Fireworks AI careers page to submit an application for this opportunity.

Skills and tech stack

PythonPyTorchTensorFlowJAXLLMsC++Deep LearningMachine LearningGenerative AIDistributed Systems

Questions candidates ask

What is the salary range for this role?

The position offers an annual salary between $200,000 and $300,000 USD.

Who is eligible to apply for this PhD position?

Candidates who have completed their PhD within the last six months or expect to complete it by December 2026 in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Physics, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field are eligible.

Is remote work available for this position?

Yes, the role offers remote flexibility alongside the primary office location in San Mateo.

What programming languages and frameworks are required?

Applicants must be proficient in Python, C, C++, or similar languages, and have hands-on experience with frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.

What are the preferred qualifications for this role?

Preferred qualifications include first-authored papers at top-tier conferences like NeurIPS or ICML, industry research internships, open-source contributions, experience with large-scale model training, or GPU kernel development.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Fireworks AI careers page.

Apply on company site