Research Scientist

About the Role

Pika AI is looking for a talented Research Scientist to join our innovative team. In this role, you'll leverage state-of-the-art AI techniques and our foundational models to develop pioneering tools and products.

You will work closely with researchers, engineers, and product designers to create breakthrough models that produce exceptional visual effects, seamless character replacements, sophisticated style transformations, and more—ensuring smooth integration into diverse production environments.

Ideal candidates are passionate about the forefront of applied AI, with deep expertise in multi-modal models and generative applications across vision, language, audio, and video domains.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop advanced AI-driven solutions for generative applications across image, video, language, and audio domains—including controllable generation, editing, personalized chatbots, and custom audio creation.

• Implement post-training algorithms for Pika models (RLHF, DPO, etc.).

• Improve the inference efficiency of the model.

• Drive product innovation by creating state-of-the-art AI features.

• Collaborate closely with product and design teams to translate leading AI algorithms into intuitive, user-centric features impacting tens of millions of users.

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in computer vision, machine learning, or related fields.

• Track record of publications at top-tier AI conferences or experience at leading AI teams with successful product releases.

• Demonstrated expertise in generative modeling techniques (transformers, diffusion models, GANs, VAEs, etc.).

• Extensive hands-on experience with transformer architectures.

• Strong experience working with multi-modal video models.

• Proficient in engineering best practices using PyTorch, including data processing, model training, and deployment.

• Direct experience developing foundational video applications (video inpainting, controllable generation, human-centric modeling).

• Proven skills in large-scale data processing, dataset creation, and automated data cleaning.

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid programming skills and a robust understanding of algorithms.

• Experience with distributed training frameworks such as FSDP or DeepSpeed.

Employment Details

• Full-time position

• Location: Palo Alto (preferred), open to hybrid or remote arrangements.

• Compensation: Competitive salary (USD) + equity options

How to Apply

Please submit your resume to [email protected] and [email protected] with the subject line "Research Scientist at Pika".

About Pika

At Pika, we’re crafting a future where video creation is seamless, intuitive, and universally accessible. Our vision is set on a world where videos transcend entertainment, serving as a canvas for everyone's unique expression. Harnessing AI's transformative power, we aim to dismantle the technical barriers that have traditionally made video production an exclusive field. It’s about building the best technology that upholds the power of creativity—not just within our products but as an integral part of our culture.

We’re a small team of energetic, smart and curious individuals. We value efficiency, collaboration, and creativity. We seek new team members who bring sharp intellect, a strong work ethic, and the ambition to make an impact. Here, you'll find significant room for career advancement, supported by a culture that nurtures both individual and collective development.

Our headquarters is based in Palo Alto, CA, and we work from the office 5 days a week.