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Machine Learning Researcher Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Bespoke Labs

Machine Learning Engineer

Norfolk, VA · On-site

About Us We are AI researchers and builders who understand how to curate data and RL environments ... deep learning proficiency (PyTorch preferred; familiar with training loops, optimizers, mixed ...

Capital One

Lead Machine Learning Engineer

Richmond, VA

$101K - $133K/yr

Lead Machine Learning Engineer At Capital One, we are changing banking for good by creating ... Passion for staying abreast of the latest research, and an ability to intuitively understand ...

Capital One

Lead Machine Learning Engineer

Mclean, VA

$103K - $136K/yr

Lead Machine Learning Engineer At Capital One, we are changing banking for good by creating ... Passion for staying abreast of the latest research, and an ability to intuitively understand ...

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All JobsMachine Learning Researcher JobsMachine Learning Researcher Jobs in Virginia

Machine Learning Researcher information

See Virginia salary details

$29.7K

$112.1K

$163.1K

How much do machine learning researcher jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for machine learning researcher in Virginia is $112,132.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $66,400.00 and $152,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Machine Learning Researchers face when transitioning from academic research to industry roles?

Machine Learning Researchers often find that transitioning to industry involves adapting to faster project timelines, collaborative workflows, and a focus on scalable, real-world solutions rather than theoretical advances alone. In industry, you'll likely work closely with cross-functional teams, such as software engineers and product managers, to ensure models are both practical and maintainable. Balancing innovation with business objectives, handling production constraints, and communicating complex findings to non-technical stakeholders are some of the key challenges you may encounter.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Machine Learning Researcher, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Machine Learning Researcher, you need deep expertise in mathematics, statistics, programming (typically Python), and a strong academic background in computer science or related fields. Familiarity with frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch and experience with tools for data analysis and model development are standard, often supported by advanced degrees or relevant certifications. Critical thinking, creativity, and effective communication are vital soft skills for developing novel solutions and collaborating across interdisciplinary teams. These skills enable researchers to design innovative algorithms, validate models rigorously, and contribute impactful advancements in the field.

What is the difference between Machine Learning Researcher vs Data Scientist?

AspectMachine Learning ResearcherData Scientist
Required CredentialsAdvanced degrees in CS, ML, or related fields; research experienceDegree in CS, statistics, or related; strong analytical skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, academia, R&D departmentsBusiness environments, tech companies, consulting
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, research institutions, tech firmsCorporations, startups, finance, healthcare
Common Search & ComparisonFocus on theoretical ML advancementsFocus on data analysis & business insights

While both roles involve working with data and algorithms, Machine Learning Researchers primarily focus on developing new algorithms and advancing ML theory, often in research or academic settings. Data Scientists apply these techniques to analyze data, generate insights, and support business decisions in industry environments.

What does a Machine Learning Researcher do?

A Machine Learning Researcher designs, develops, and tests algorithms and models that allow computers to learn from and make decisions based on data. They often work on advancing the field by exploring new methods, improving existing algorithms, and publishing their findings. These researchers collaborate with engineers and data scientists to apply their research to practical problems in areas like computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics. Their work typically involves a combination of mathematics, statistics, programming, and experimentation.
What are the most commonly searched types of Machine Learning Researcher jobs in Virginia? The most popular types of Machine Learning Researcher jobs in Virginia are:
What are popular job titles related to Machine Learning Researcher jobs in Virginia? For Machine Learning Researcher jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Machine Learning Researcher jobs in Virginia look for? The top searched job categories for Machine Learning Researcher jobs in Virginia are:
What cities in Virginia are hiring for Machine Learning Researcher jobs? Cities in Virginia with the most Machine Learning Researcher job openings:
Machine Learning Researcher jobs near you
Infographic showing various Machine Learning Researcher job openings in Virginia as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 74% Full Time, 23% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $112,132 per year, or $53.9 per hour.

Machine Learning Engineer

Bespoke Labs

Norfolk, VA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 27 days ago

Job description

About Us

We are AI researchers and builders who understand how to curate data and RL environments that truly improve models. We curated OpenThoughts, one of the best open reasoning datasets, and have trained SOTA models such as Bespoke-MiniCheck and Bespoke-MiniChart.

We are embarked on a journey to build Environments that are entire digital worlds that can be used to push the frontier of agents.

What You'll Be Working On

You will work directly with our research team on RL environment and task creation for agent training. This means designing observation spaces, action spaces, reward signals, and success criteria for new environments — and building the infrastructure that makes world-scale RL training possible. This is a high-ownership role; you will be building novel systems, not maintaining legacy ones.

Must-Have Skills

3+ years of ML engineering experience — model training, fine-tuning, or post-training pipelines in research or production

Strong Python and deep learning proficiency (PyTorch preferred; familiar with training loops, optimizers, mixed precision)

Hands-on experience with LLM post-training — SFT, RLHF, PPO, DPO, or reward model training — and understanding of how training data quality affects model behavior

Familiarity with RL frameworks (Gymnasium, dm_env) and the ability to design or modify reward functions for agent training objectives

Experience running experiments at scale on cloud or HPC (AWS, GCP, SLURM, or Ray)

Solid understanding of evaluation methodology — held-out sets, benchmark design, avoiding train/eval contamination

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