Senior AI Research Scientist

Responsibilities

• Own one or more key technical areas across the LLM, MLLM, and CV product portfolio.
• Provide technical leadership to junior scientists, guiding the transition of R&D concepts into impactful Axon product features.
• Research and develop cutting‑edge techniques in LLMs, MLLMs, GenAI, and Computer Vision across cloud, device, and sensor‑based data sources.
• Design and implement efficient and scalable MLLM models for inference and analysis of multimodal data.
• Explore novel approaches to address challenges in NLP, NLU, object detection, object recognition, object tracking, segmentation, and scene understanding.
• Optimize AI models and algorithms for performance, memory footprint, and energy efficiency to meet the requirements of resource‑constrained devices.
• Collaborate with MLEs, firmware, or hardware engineers to leverage hardware accelerators and optimize algorithms for specific hardware architectures.
• Evaluate the performance of LLM, MLLM, and CV models using real‑world datasets and design experiments to validate their effectiveness.
• Stay up‑to‑date with the latest research trends and advancements in computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, MLLMs, and GenAI, integrating relevant findings into projects.
• Contribute to patent disclosures, academic publications, and technical documentation to share insights and findings with the broader community.
• Coach and mentor junior scientists.

Qualifications

• PhD with at least 5 years of experience for ML Scientist, 8 years for Sr. ML Scientist, or 10 years for Principal ML Scientist in Computer Science or a related field focusing on LLMs, MLLMs, Computer Vision, or GenAI.
• Proven track record of research excellence in LLMs, MLLMs, Computer Vision, Robotics, Perception, and GenAI, demonstrated through publications in top‑tier conferences or journals.
• Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python and C/C++, and experience with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras, as well as ROS or a robotic operating system.
• Drive one or more phases of the ML development lifecycle: shape datasets, investigate modeling approaches and architectures, train/evaluate/tune models, and implement the end‑to‑end training pipeline.
• Leverage state‑of‑the‑art research to deliver high‑quality models enabling multiple AI projects at scale.
• Contribute back to the research community via academic publications, technical blogs, open‑source code, and participation in internal and external AI challenges.
• Experience developing computer vision algorithms for resource‑constrained devices such as mobile phones, IoT devices, or embedded systems is highly desirable.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills, analytical thinking, and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to effectively present complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and 401(k) with employer match.
• Discretionary paid time off.
• Paid parental leave for all.
• Medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Fitness programs.
• Emotional and mental wellness support.
• Learning and development programs.
• Snacks in our offices.

Location

Any cities with Axon Engineering Hub in the US, Vietnam, or EU.

This role is based out of our Tampere, Finland office and follows a hybrid schedule: onsite Tuesday through Friday, with flexibility to work remotely on Mondays.

Inclusive Hiring

We believe connection fuels innovation and our in‑office culture is designed to support meaningful teamwork and mentorship. We are committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve. If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway.

Important Notes

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions. Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

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