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Applied Research Scientist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Nvidia

Senior Applied Research Scientist

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$115K - $147K/yr

We are seeking senior research scientists and engineers to push the frontier of large-scale ... as applied to drug discovery, genomics, proteomics, or medical chemistry. This is a hands-on role ...

Prosperity Now

Director of Applied Research & Policy

$112K - $163K/yr

Supervise, coach, and develop the Applied Research & Policy Associate and future Research Scientist. * Establish research standards and review work products. Organizational Culture * Model ...

USALCO

Research Scientist

Baltimore, MD

The Research Scientist is expected to personally design, run, document, and interpret experiments ... Originate and lead applied research programs aligned with business needs, from early‑stage ...

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Applied Research Scientist information

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$50.5K

$130.1K

$174K

How much do applied research scientist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for applied research scientist in the United States is $130,117.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $107,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

Are applied research scientists paid well?

Applied research scientists typically earn competitive salaries that vary based on experience, education, and industry. In technology and research sectors, they often receive additional benefits such as bonuses, stock options, and opportunities for professional development. Overall, the role is considered well-compensated compared to many other scientific or technical positions.

What is an applied research scientist?

Applied Research Scientists are professionals who use scientific methods and research techniques to solve real-world problems, often focusing on practical applications rather than theoretical understanding. They typically work in industries like technology, healthcare, or engineering, where they develop new products, improve processes, or innovate solutions. Their work involves designing experiments, analyzing data, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to bring research findings into practical use. Applied Research Scientists often bridge the gap between fundamental research and product development, ensuring that scientific advancements translate into tangible benefits.

What are some common challenges faced by applied research scientists when transitioning projects from research to practical application?

Applied Research Scientists often encounter challenges in bridging the gap between theoretical research and real-world implementation. Translating complex findings into scalable, user-friendly solutions requires close collaboration with engineering, product, and business teams. Balancing rigorous scientific standards with practical constraints like timelines, budgets, and stakeholder expectations is crucial. Effective communication and adaptability are key, as projects may need to be iteratively refined based on feedback from diverse teams.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an applied research scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Applied Research Scientist, you typically need an advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in a relevant scientific field, strong analytical skills, and experience with experimental design and data analysis. Familiarity with programming languages (such as Python or R), statistical software, and machine learning frameworks is essential, and certifications in data science or specialized research methodologies can be advantageous. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills set outstanding candidates apart, enabling them to translate research findings into practical solutions. These competencies are crucial for driving innovation, effectively communicating results, and advancing organizational goals through impactful scientific research.

What is the difference between Applied Research Scientist vs Data Scientist?

AspectApplied Research ScientistData Scientist
CredentialsTypically requires a PhD or master's in a related fieldUsually holds a bachelor's or master's in data science, statistics, or related fields
Work EnvironmentFocuses on developing new algorithms, models, and scientific researchAnalyzes data to extract insights, build predictive models, and support decision-making
Industry UsageCommon in tech, academia, and R&D divisions of companiesWidely used across industries like finance, healthcare, and marketing

Applied Research Scientists focus on creating innovative algorithms and scientific advancements, often in research settings, while Data Scientists analyze data to solve business problems. Both roles require strong technical skills, but their primary goals and work environments differ.

More about Applied Research Scientist jobs
What cities are hiring for Applied Research Scientist jobs? Cities with the most Applied Research Scientist job openings:
What states have the most Applied Research Scientist jobs? States with the most job openings for Applied Research Scientist jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Applied Research Scientist jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Applied Research Scientist jobs are:
Applied Research Scientist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Applied Research Scientist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 86% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $130,117 per year, or $62.6 per hour.

Applied Research Scientist

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc

San Jose, CA • On-site

$150K/yr

Full-time

Posted 29 days ago

Advanced Micro Devices rating

8.6

Company rating: 8.6 out of 10

Based on 13 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

27th of 156 rated electronics manufacturers

Job description

WHAT YOU DO AT AMD CHANGES EVERYTHING
At AMD, our mission is to build great products that accelerate next-generation computing experiences-from AI and data centers, to PCs, gaming and embedded systems. Grounded in a culture of innovation and collaboration, we believe real progress comes from bold ideas, human ingenuity and a shared passion to create something extraordinary. When you join AMD, you'll discover the real differentiator is our culture. We push the limits of innovation to solve the world's most important challenges-striving for execution excellence, while being direct, humble, collaborative, and inclusive of diverse perspectives. Join us as we shape the future of AI and beyond. Together, we advance your career.
THE ROLE:
We are looking for an Applied Research Scientist experienced with training large language models, large multimodal models, and image/video generation models. In this role, you will explore novel LLM/LMM and image/video generation architectures and large-scale training techniques to advance the state-of-the-arts. You will be part of a world-class research team working on pre-training, fine-tuning, and aligning large language models, large multimodal models, and image/video generation models, in addition to keeping up-to-date to the latest progress and trends in LLM/LMM, image/video generation, and other foundation models.
THE PERSON:
Do you like to design and implement novel research ideas, improve the quality of the large language/multimodal models, accelerate the training and inference speed of LLMs, LMMs, and image/video generation models, and influence future hardware and software direction? If so, this role is for you. The ideal candidate will have expertise and hands-on experience on training LLMs, LMMs, and/or diffusion models., familiar with hyper-parameter tuning techniques, data preprocessing, tokenization methods and latest training approaches for LLMs, LMMs, and diffusion models. A successful candidate needs to be knowledgeable with latest transformer architectures.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Train and finetune LLMs, LMMs, and image/video generation models.
  • Improve on the state-of-the-art LLMs, LMMs, and image/video generation models.
  • Accelerate the training and inference speed of LLMs, LMMs, and image/video generation models.
  • Research novel ML techniques and model architectures.
  • Influence the direction of AMD AI platform.
  • Publish your work at top-tier venues.
  • Engage with academia and open-source ML communities.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
  • Experience in developing and debugging in Python.
  • Experience in ML frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX or TensorFlow.
  • Experience with distributed training.
  • Expertise on LLM/LMM/Diffusion pretraining, finetuning, and/or RLHF.
  • Familiar with transformer architecture.
  • Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
  • Publication at top-tier venues is a huge plus.

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS:
  • A PhD or master's degree or equivalent in machine learning, computer science, artificial intelligence, or a related field.

LOCATION:
San Jose, CA or Seattle, WA areas preferred (Hybrid).
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.
#LI-DNI
Benefits offered are described: AMD benefits at a glance.
AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants' needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.
AMD may use Artificial Intelligence to help screen, assess or select applicants for this position. AMD's "Responsible AI Policy" is available here.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

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