Lead Research Scientist (Open Science)

Why we exist: Oumi is on a mission to make frontier AI truly open for all. We are founded on the belief that AI will have a transformative impact on humanity, and that developing it collectively, in the open, is the best path forward to ensure that it is done efficiently and safely.

What we do: Oumi provides an all-in-one platform to build state-of-the-art AI models, end to end, from data preparation to production deployment, empowering innovators to build cutting-edge models at any scale. Oumi also develops open foundation models in collaboration with academic collaborators and the open community.

Our Approach: Oumi is fundamentally an open-source first company, with open-collaboration across the community as a core principle. Our work is:

• Open Source First: All our platform and core technology is open source

• Research-driven: We conduct and publish original research in AI, collaborating with our community of academic research labs and collaborators

• Community-powered: We believe in the power of open-collaboration and welcome contributions from researchers and developers worldwide

As a seasoned expert in GenAI research, you will spearhead our commitment to transparent, collaborative, and accessible AI research. You will lead initiatives  focused on advancing state-of-the-art models for Large Language Models (LLMs), Vision Language Models (VLMs), and related technologies. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams, and lead research efforts across dozens of academics from dozens of universities, drive open-source innovation, and contribute to the development of our all-in-one platform.

What you’ll do:

• Research Leadership: Lead research initiatives on LLM/VLM development, focusing on training, evaluation, data curation, benchmarking, and optimization techniques.

• Strategic Research Planning: Develop and execute strategic plans for advancing AI/ML capabilities within Oumi's open-source platform.

• Research Publication: Publish high-impact research in top-tier conferences and journals (e.g. NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, ICLR, …), contributing significant advancements to open AI.

• Academic Collaboration: Develop and maintain partnerships with academic institutions, research labs, and individual scholars to create a robust network of open science contributors.

• Mentorship & Guidance: Mentor junior researchers and engineers on best practices, sharing expertise to foster growth and development within the team.

What you’ll bring:

• Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field (Machine Learning/AI).

• Publication Record: Extensive publication history in top-tier AI/ML conferences and journals

• Leadership Skills: Proven leadership skills, having led research efforts and managed projects to successful outcomes.

• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of machine learning concepts (deep learning frameworks like PyTorch). Familiarity with large language models (LLMs) and/or vision language models (VLMs).

• Open Source: Strong familiarity with open-source projects, a passion for contributing to the community.

• Initiative & Ownership: Self-starter who can work independently, take ownership of initiatives, and drive results.

• Values: Share Oumi's values: Beneficial for all, Customer-obsessed, Radical Ownership, Exceptional Teammates, Science-grounded.

• Competitive salary: $160,000–$220,000

• Equity in a high-growth startup

• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance

• 21 days PTO

• Regular team offsites and events

• Hybrid work environment, with offices in: 

  • Seattle, WA

  • Palo Alto, CA