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Computer Research Scientist Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

FAR.AI

$120K - $190K/yr

PhD or several years research experience in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning or statistics. Logistics If based in the USA or Singapore, you will be an employee of FAR.AI ...

Waabi

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA

$158K - $269K/yr

As a research scientist, you will invent new AI technologies that enable our launch of fully ... Qualifications: - Masters/PhD degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, Computer Vision ...

Hedra

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $325K/yr

As a Researcher, you will drive original research into the intersection of generative modeling ... PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field, with publications at top ...

Waabi

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$158K - $269K/yr

As a research scientist, you will invent new AI technologies that enable our launch of fully ... Qualifications: - Masters/PhD degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, Computer Vision ...

Waabi

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$158K - $269K/yr

As a research scientist, you will invent new AI technologies that enable our launch of fully ... Qualifications: - Masters/PhD degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, Computer Vision ...

Goodfire

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $400K/yr

PhD or equivalent experience in ML, computer science, or a quantitative science. * Deep familiarity ... Experience leading research or contributing to open-source codebases. * Familiarity with ...

Goodfire

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $400K/yr

PhD or equivalent experience in ML, computer science, or a quantitative science. * Deep familiarity ... Experience leading research or contributing to open-source codebases. * Familiarity with ...

Substrate

Research Scientist, AI

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $275K/yr

Research Scientist, AI Substrate is addressing one of the most important technological problems ... PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or related field

ChipAgents

Research Scientist

San Jose, CA · On-site

$350K/yr

Degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent research experience). * Strong background in large language models, deep learning, and modern ...

Caltech

Research Scientist

Pasadena, CA · On-site

... or biological sciences. * Relevant research experience of 5 years. * Bring experience with ... Have mid-level lab-pertinent computer skills including familiarity with Excel; software packages ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsComputer Research Scientist JobsComputer Research Scientist Jobs in California

Computer Research Scientist information

See California salary details

$89.3K

$130.7K

$141.6K

How much do computer research scientist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for computer research scientist in California is $130,720.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $114,500.00 and $141,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

AspectComputer Research ScientistData Scientist
Required CredentialsMaster's or PhD in Computer Science, related fieldsBachelor's or Master's in Data Science, Statistics, or related fields
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, academia, R&D departmentsBusiness environments, tech companies, analytics teams
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, government agencies, research institutionsCorporations, startups, consulting firms
Common Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding research roles in computingAnalyzing data to inform decisions

Computer Research Scientists focus on developing new algorithms, theories, and computing methods, often working in research settings. Data Scientists analyze large datasets to extract insights and support business decisions. While both roles require strong technical skills, their work environments and primary objectives differ significantly.

Are computer research scientists still in demand?

Computer research scientists are in high demand due to ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analysis. They typically require strong programming skills and advanced degrees, and employment opportunities are expected to grow faster than average in the coming years.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a computer research scientist?

To thrive as a Computer Research Scientist, you need a strong background in computer science, mathematics, and algorithm development, usually supported by a master's or doctoral degree. Familiarity with programming languages (such as Python, C++, or Java), machine learning frameworks, and research publication tools is typically required. Analytical thinking, creativity, and effective communication are essential soft skills for designing innovative solutions and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. These skills and qualifications are crucial for advancing technology, solving complex problems, and contributing impactful research to the field.

What is a computer research scientist?

Computer Research Scientists are professionals who invent and design new approaches to computing technology and find innovative uses for existing technology. They conduct research to solve complex problems in computing, develop new computer hardware and software, and work to advance the field of computer science as a whole. Their work often includes developing algorithms, working with big data, and improving the efficiency and security of computer systems. They are typically employed in academia, government, and private industry research labs. A strong background in mathematics, logic, and programming is essential for this role.

What are some common challenges faced by computer research scientists when transitioning a theoretical concept into a practical application?

Computer Research Scientists often encounter challenges when moving from theory to practice, such as aligning their innovative solutions with existing technologies, managing resource limitations, and ensuring scalability. Collaborating with engineers and product teams is essential to adapt research prototypes into real-world systems that are robust and efficient. Additionally, balancing the need for scientific rigor with the fast-paced demands of industry can require effective communication and flexibility. Overcoming these challenges not only enhances the impact of their research but also provides valuable experience for career advancement.
What are popular job titles related to Computer Research Scientist jobs in California? For Computer Research Scientist jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Computer Research Scientist jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Computer Research Scientist jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Computer Research Scientist jobs? Cities in California with the most Computer Research Scientist job openings:
Computer Research Scientist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Computer Research Scientist job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, and 13% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $130,720 per year, or $62.8 per hour.

Research Scientist

FAR.AI

On-site, Remote

$120K - $190K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 18 days ago

Job description

About Us
FAR.AI is a non-profit AI research institute working to ensure advanced AI is safe and beneficial for everyone. Our mission is to facilitate breakthrough AI safety research, advance global understanding of AI risks and solutions, and foster a coordinated global response.
Since our founding in July 2022, we've grown to 40+ staff, published 40+ academic papers, and convened leading AI safety events. Our work is recognized globally, with publications at premier venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR, and features in the Financial Times, Nature News and MIT Technology Review. We conduct pre-deployment testing on behalf of frontier developers such as OpenAI and independent evaluations for governments including the EU AI Office. We help steer and grow the AI safety field through developing research roadmaps with renowned researchers such as Yoshua Bengio; running FAR.Labs, an AI safety-focused co-working space in Berkeley housing 40 members; and supporting the community through targeted grants to technical researchers.
About FAR.Research
We explore promising research directions in AI safety and scale up only those showing a high potential for impact. Once the core research problems are solved, we work to scale them to a minimum viable prototype, demonstrating their validity to AI companies and governments to drive adoption.
We are aiming to rapidly grow our team in the following areas especially, at varying levels of seniority:
  • Evals and red-teaming: Conducting pre- and post-release adversarial evaluations of frontier models (e.g. Claude 4 Opus, ChatGPT Agent, GPT-5); developing novel attacks to support this work; and exploring new threat models (e.g. persuasion, tampering risks).
  • Infrastructure: Maintaining GPU compute infrastructure to support experiments with open-weight models and developing new tooling to allow our research teams to scale their fine-tuning and post-training workflows to frontier open-weight models.

We are also seeking more senior candidates in the following research areas:
  • Mitigating AI deception: Studying when lie detectors induce honesty or evasion, and developing model organisms for deception and sandbagging
  • Adversarial Robustness: Working to rigorously solve these security problems through building a science of security and robustness for AI, from demonstrating superhuman systems can be vulnerable, to scaling laws for robustness and jailbreaking constitutional classifiers
  • Mechanistic Interpretability: Finding issues with Sparse Autoencoders, probing deception using AmongUs, understanding learned planning in SokoBan and interpretable data attribution.

FAR.AI is one of the largest independent AI safety research institutes, and is rapidly growing with the goal of diversifying and deepening our research portfolio. We would welcome the opportunity to add new research directions if you are a senior researcher with a strong vision and would like to pitch us on it.
About the Role
We organize our team as Members of Technical Staff, with significant overlap between scientist and engineer roles. As a scientist, you will take ownership of and accelerate existing AI alignment research agendas. You can publish research findings broadly and engage with the AI alignment community. If you are an experienced research scientist, then we would be excited to incubate your agenda at FAR using our existing infrastructure and world-class team.
You will receive engineering mentorship via code review, pair programming and regular 1-to-1s. Alongside the engineers, you will be involved in develop scalable implementations of machine learning algorithms and using them to run scientific experiments,
You are encouraged to develop your research taste, proposing novel directions and joining a research pod which suits your interests. You are welcome to take time to study and to attend conferences free of charge. Our technical team is organized into research pods to enable continuity of organizational structure whilst each pod can pivot through varied research projects.
Beyond FAR.AI, you can work with national AI safety institutes, frontier model developers and top academics.
About You
We are excited by unconventional backgrounds. You may have the following:
  • New and under-explored AI alignment idea(s).
  • Experience leading and/or playing a senior role in research projects related to machine learning.
  • Ability to effectively communicate novel methods and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • PhD or several years research experience in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning or statistics.
Logistics
If based in the USA or Singapore, you will be an employee of FAR.AI (501(c)(3) research non-profit / non-profit CLG). Outside the USA or Singapore, you will be employed via an EOR organisation on behalf of FAR.AI or as a contractor.
  • Location: Both remote and in-person (Berkeley, CA or Singapore) are possible. We sponsor visas for in-person employees, and can hire remotely in most countries.
  • Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week).
  • Compensation: $120,000-$190,000/year depending on experience and location. We will also pay for work-related travel and equipment expenses. We offer catered lunch and dinner at our offices in Berkeley.
  • Application process: A 72-minute programming assessment, two interviews with members of our technical staff, and a paid work trial lasting up to 1 week. If you are not available for a work trial we may be able to find alternative ways of testing your fit.

If you have any questions about the role, please do get in touch at talent@far.ai.
Otherwise, if you don't have questions, the best way to ensure a proper review of your skills and qualifications is by applying directly via the application form. Please don't email us to share your resume (it won't have any impact on our decision). Thank you!

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