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Phd Program Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Polymath AI Labs

AI Research Resident

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About the role We're looking for talented researchers currently enrolled in MS / PhD programs to collaborate on a research project focused around frontier benchmarks and environments for long-horizon ...

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Phd Program information

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$24.7K

$89.4K

$116K

How much do phd program jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for phd program in California is $89,370.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $49,800.00 and $115,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a PhD program?

A PhD program is an advanced academic course of study that culminates in a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. It typically involves several years of original research, coursework, and comprehensive exams, followed by the completion and defense of a dissertation. PhD programs are designed for individuals who wish to pursue careers in academia, research, or highly specialized professional fields. Admission is competitive and usually requires a master's degree or equivalent experience. Successful graduates are recognized as experts in their chosen fields.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in a PhD program?

To thrive in a PhD program, you need advanced subject knowledge, strong research skills, and typically a master's or bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Familiarity with academic databases, data analysis software (like SPSS, R, or Python), and citation management tools is often required. Exceptional critical thinking, time management, perseverance, and written and verbal communication skills set successful candidates apart. These abilities are crucial for conducting independent research, contributing original knowledge, and navigating the rigorous demands of doctoral study.

What are some common challenges students face during a PhD program and how can they be addressed?

PhD students often encounter challenges such as managing a heavy workload, maintaining motivation during long research projects, and balancing research with teaching or other commitments. Navigating ambiguous research directions and handling setbacks are also frequent hurdles. Building a strong support network, seeking regular feedback from advisors, and engaging with peers can help address these challenges. Many universities offer resources like counseling, writing workshops, and career guidance to support PhD students throughout their journey.

What is the difference between Phd Program vs Research Scientist?

AspectPhd ProgramResearch Scientist
Required CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's or master's degree; pursuing or completed PhDUsually requires a PhD or equivalent research experience
Work EnvironmentAcademic institutions, universities, research labs during studyIndustry labs, corporate R&D, research institutions
Employer & Industry UsageEducational and research institutionsPrivate companies, government agencies, biotech, tech firms
Common Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding educational pathways and research rolesCareer progression and industry research roles

The main difference is that a Phd Program is an educational pathway focused on earning a doctorate degree, often in academia or research training, while a Research Scientist is a professional role in industry or research institutions, typically requiring a PhD and involving applied research work.

What career can you get with a Phd Program?

A PhD program prepares individuals for careers in academia, research, and specialized industry roles. Graduates often become university professors, researchers, scientists, or work in policy, consulting, or leadership positions that require advanced expertise and analytical skills.

What jobs can you do with a Phd Program?

A PhD program prepares individuals for careers in academia, research, and specialized industry roles such as data scientist, research scientist, university professor, or policy analyst. It develops advanced skills in critical thinking, analysis, and project management, often requiring expertise in a specific field and proficiency with research tools and methodologies.

What cities in California are hiring for Phd Program jobs?

Cities in California with the most Phd Program job openings:

Phd Program jobs near you

Machine Learning PhD Student, Frontier AI Evaluation (Contract)

Cobalt

San Jose, CA • On-site

Other

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

About the role:

Cobalt is seeking current PhD students working in machine learning to produce the expert reasoning and evaluation data used to train and assess frontier AI models.

This opportunity is suited to students who are actively doing ML research: designing and running experiments, training and evaluating models, working through derivations, and debugging results that do not behave as expected. You may be at any stage of your program, from first year through writing up, and you do not need to have published yet.

You do not need prior experience in data annotation or model evaluation. What matters is that you can solve non-trivial ML problems unaided and explain your reasoning clearly in writing.


What you'll do:

Depending on the project, you may:

  • Produce written reasoning traces on hard ML problems, capturing how you reach a solution rather than only the solution itself, and draft expert reference answers to technical questions
  • Author novel problems in your subfield that have verifiable or defensible correct answers
  • Evaluate model-generated technical content: compare and rank responses, articulate what makes the stronger one stronger, and identify the specific step at which a chain of reasoning breaks down
  • Assess whether stated conclusions are supported by the underlying derivation, code, or experimental evidence
  • Design rubrics and partial-credit criteria for scoring multistep technical tasks

Projects follow their own guidelines, formatting conventions, and quality standards, and you will work with feedback from reviewers and lab research teams.


Required qualifications:

  • Current enrollment in a PhD program in machine learning, computer science, statistics, mathematics, physics, or a closely related quantitative discipline, with research that is substantially ML focused, at any stage
  • Demonstrated depth in at least one area, for example optimization, reinforcement learning, language model training and post-training, learning theory, probabilistic methods, computer vision, natural language processing, or systems for ML
  • Ability to solve advanced ML problems independently, to interpret papers, derivations, code and experimental results, and to explain each step of your reasoning clearly in writing
  • Strong attention to detail, a commitment to factual accuracy, and the ability to work independently to agreed timelines
  • Confirmation that outside contract work is permitted under your visa status, funding terms, and institutional policies. Applicants are responsible for verifying this, and we cannot advise on it.

Publications at venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, or CVPR are useful but not required, as is teaching assistant, grading, or peer review experience.


Why join Cobalt AI:

  • Advance frontier AI where it counts. Apply your expertise to data that frontier labs cannot obtain any other way, where your reasoning directly shapes how the next generation of models works through technical problems.
  • Grow professionally. Expand your influence through evaluation projects, advisory roles, and research collaborations, while developing a working understanding of how frontier models are trained and assessed.
  • Work with a top-tier network. Collaborate with researchers and engineers from leading institutions and labs on high-impact, flexible work.
  • Set your own schedule. Flexible 10 to 40 hour weeks that fit around your existing work and your life.
  • Competitive pay. Rates vary by project and are determined by a number of factors, including scope, skillset, and experience.

Apply