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Remote Research Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

talentpluto

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$140K - $250K/yr

Location: Remote (United States) Work Model: Remote Industry: AI training data infrastructure ... As a Research Engineer, you will build the automated systems that verify and assure data quality so ...

FAR.AI

$100K - $190K/yr

AI is a non-profit AI research institute working to ensure advanced AI is safe and beneficial for ... Both remote and in-person (Berkeley, CA or Singapore) are possible. We sponsor visas for in-person ...

Waabi

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$122K - $215K/yr

To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai As a Research Engineer, you will be at the forefront of advancing and deploying artificial intelligence algorithms for our self-driving vehicles. You will work ...

Waabi

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$122K - $215K/yr

To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai As a Research Engineer, you will be at the forefront of advancing and deploying artificial intelligence algorithms for our self-driving vehicles. You will work ...

Real-Time Innovations

Research Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site +1

To help drive this mission, we are looking for a Research Engineer to tackle the industry's toughest challenges, including enabling AI coding for distributed systems, delivering determinism and ...

Anthropic

Research Engineer, Universes

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$500K - $850K/yr

About the Role We're looking for Research Engineers to help us build the next generation of training environments for capable and safe agentic AI. This role blends research and engineering ...

Biohub

Research Engineer, AI

Redwood City, CA · On-site +1

$214K - $375K/yr

As a Research Engineer, you'll build the models and systems that define what AI can do in biology: foundation models, reasoning, reinforcement learning, and multi-agent systems at frontier scale.

Hirevouch

Applied Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

Role Overview As an Applied Research Engineer, you will be at the forefront of developing cutting-edge systems and methods to create, analyze, and leverage high-quality human-in-the-loop data for ...

Mercor

ML Research Engineer - PhD

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$75 - $90/hr

Remote Commitment: 20+ hours/week Role Responsibilities * Attempt open-ended machine learning research tasks under a fixed time and compute budget. * Work independently in a sandboxed Linux ...

Waabi

Research Engineer, World Models

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$155K - $269K/yr

As a Research Engineer in the World Models team, you will develop algorithms and productionize the next generation of World Models that can reason about complex, dynamic 4D environments. This role ...

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All JobsResearch Engineer JobsRemote Research Engineer JobsRemote Research Engineer Jobs in California

Remote Research Engineer information

See California salary details

$36.5K

$104.6K

$140.6K

How much do remote research engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for remote research engineer in California is $104,624.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $102,600.00 and $102,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a remote research engineer?

A Remote Research Engineer is a professional who conducts research and develops new technologies, algorithms, or solutions while working remotely. They typically work in fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, or scientific research. Their responsibilities include designing experiments, analyzing data, and collaborating with teams using digital communication tools. This role requires strong problem-solving skills, self-motivation, and proficiency in programming or research methodologies. Remote Research Engineers often contribute to cutting-edge advancements while maintaining flexibility in their work environment.

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as a remote research engineer?

A Remote Research Engineer typically needs a strong background in scientific research methods, programming, data analysis, and a relevant degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with statistical software, cloud-based collaboration tools, and experience with programming languages such as Python or MATLAB are often required, with additional certifications in machine learning or data science considered advantageous. Excellent written and verbal communication, problem-solving abilities, and self-motivation are key soft skills for success in remote environments. These competencies enable effective independent work, high-quality research output, and seamless collaboration within distributed teams.

What are some unique challenges faced by remote research engineers and how can they be overcome?

Remote Research Engineers often encounter challenges related to collaborating across different time zones, ensuring clear communication, and maintaining access to necessary data or computational resources. To overcome these issues, it's important to leverage project management tools, establish regular virtual meetings, and proactively document and share research findings with the team. Strong time management and self-discipline are also essential to balance deep-focus research tasks with collaborative discussions. Organizations usually provide virtual platforms and cloud infrastructure to support seamless work, but developing personal workflows for communication and resource access can further enhance effectiveness in the role.

Do you need a PhD to be a remote research engineer?

A PhD is not strictly required to be a remote research engineer, but many roles prefer candidates with advanced degrees in relevant fields such as engineering, computer science, or data science. Practical experience, strong technical skills, and proficiency with research tools and programming languages are often more important for these positions.

What are the most commonly searched types of Research Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Research Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Remote Research Engineer jobs in California?

For Remote Research Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Remote Research Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Remote Research Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Remote Research Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Remote Research Engineer job openings:

Remote Research Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Remote Research Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, and 11% Contract. Highlights an 100% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $104,624 per year, or $50.3 per hour.

Research Engineer

talentpluto

San Francisco, CA • On-site, Remote

$140K - $250K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 8 days ago

Job description

Location: Remote (United States)
Work Model: Remote
Industry: AI training data infrastructure
Compensation: $140K-$250K base, plus equity
About the Company
Our partner is a YC-backed company building a new kind of marketplace in the AI training data space. Rather than operating as a labor marketplace, they provide infrastructure that lets data producers transform their existing data into formats AI labs want and sell it directly to those labs. This democratized model unlocks far more high-value data sources, and the team is growing quickly to keep up with demand.
The Opportunity
This is the company's top hiring priority and a genuinely hard research problem. Because data flows through a decentralized marketplace, ensuring quality at scale is the single biggest bottleneck to growth. As a Research Engineer, you will build the automated systems that verify and assure data quality so that suppliers consistently deliver excellent data to buyers.
You will start by digging into the data manually to understand failure modes, then design systems to automate quality checks at scale, combining rule-based approaches with AI for fuzzier cases and human-in-the-loop review where it makes sense. This is fundamentally a research role focused on building automated systems, not manual QA.
Responsibilities
  • Identify data quality issues including inconsistencies, formatting problems, and ingestion challenges
  • Perform initial manual data quality review to deeply understand failure modes
  • Build systems to automate quality checks at scale using rule-based and AI-driven approaches
  • Design hybrid systems that balance automation with human-in-the-loop review where appropriate
  • Continuously improve verification methods as the data landscape and AI tooling evolve
Requirements
  • Deeply technical, with a strong learning slope and the ability to ramp quickly in a fast-moving field
  • Background in AI/ML engineering, or software engineering at an AI-focused company with visible data ingestion and processing experience
  • Ability to reason about likely data quality problems from first principles
  • Comfortable owning ambiguous, open-ended problems end to end
  • Comfortable working in person, full-time, in a San Francisco office
  • Bonus: experience working with noisy or unstructured data, or judgment on when to use automation versus human-in-the-loop review

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