AI/ML Researcher

About Qwerky AI

QWERKY AI is a human-centered artificial intelligence company focused on building practical and approachable AI tools for real-world use. Headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, with a distributed team across the U.S., QWERKY is led by a founding team of tech entrepreneurs with over a decade of experience. The company is dedicated to creating AI that enhances — rather than replaces — human intelligence. QWERKY AI is currently developing an AI platform to empower knowledge workers, creatives and small businesses.

Job Description

QWERKY AI seeks a brilliant and highly motivated AI/ML Researcher to join our pioneering Research & Development team. In this role, you will be at the vanguard of artificial intelligence, responsible for conceptualizing, developing, and implementing next-generation algorithms that push the boundaries of what is possible. The ideal candidate is a passionate scientist with a strong foundation in machine learning theory and a track record of publishing influential research. You will play a foundational role in defining our long-term research roadmap, publishing cutting-edge work, and collaborating with a world-class team of engineers and scientists.

Responsibilities

• Conduct fundamental and applied research in machine learning and deep learning to invent and design novel models and algorithms.
• Take ownership of the research lifecycle: from literature review and hypothesis formulation to experimental design, model implementation, and result analysis.
• Stay at the forefront of advancements in the AI/ML community by reading academic literature, attending top-tier conferences, and publishing your own findings in premier venues.
• Develop robust, scalable, and high-quality code for research prototypes and experiments.
• Effectively communicate complex research concepts, experimental results, and theoretical insights to diverse audiences, including technical peers and executive leadership.
• Collaborate closely with engineering and product teams to translate research breakthroughs into tangible product features and applications that drive business value.
• Mentor other team members and contribute to the development of best practices for scientific inquiry and experimentation within the company.
• Contribute to the company’s intellectual property portfolio through patents and publications.

Required Skills

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, or a related quantitative field. (A Master's degree with an exceptional publication record may be considered).
• A strong and consistent publication record in top-tier AI/ML conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL).
• Deep theoretical understanding of machine learning, including probability, statistical learning theory, optimization, and advanced deep learning architectures (e.g., Transformers, GANs, Variational Autoencoders (pθ​(x∣z)p(z)), Diffusion Models).
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and deep experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow/JAX.
• Demonstrated experience in the full research lifecycle, from ideation and experimentation to analyzing and presenting results.
• Proficiency in SQL and experience working with large-scale datasets.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities with a mindset geared towards scientific inquiry and innovation.
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate highly technical concepts and the significance of research findings.
• Experience working autonomously and driving your own research agenda with minimal supervision.
• A passion for tackling ambiguous, open-ended problems.

Bonus Skills

• Expertise in a specialized area such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, Reinforcement Learning, or Generative AI.
• Knowledge of C++ for performance-critical applications.
• Familiarity with parallel computing, distributed computing, and big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Dask).
• Exposure to CUDA programming for GPU acceleration and an understanding of GPU kernels.
• Experience with MLOps tools and practices (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and their associated AI/ML services.
• Contributions to major open-source data science or AI projects.

Pay / Benefits

• Salary or hourly rate
• Stock options plan (we are a private company, so this is not liquid)
• If you are in the USA: healthcare, dental, vision, 401k
• Unlimited time off policy
• Flexible working hours

Hiring Process

• Submit a resume to us for review.
• We will follow up with a technical screening (this will take approximately one hour).
• Following the successful completion of the technical screening, we will schedule an Onsite Interview.
• The Onsite Interview is to meet more of the team and will consist of the following (total time three hours):
• • Technical Screenings (1-2)
  • Research Deep Dive / Technical Presentation
  • Behavioral Interview
• We’ll reach out with an offer if you're a great fit.
• Once accepted, you start working with us!