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Research Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Phonic

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About The Role As a Research Engineer at Phonic, you'll sit at the intersection of cutting-edge ML research and production engineering, working directly on the core systems that make Phonic's voice ...

Magic

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Strong general software engineering skills * Thorough knowledge of the deep learning literature * Experience with pre- and post-training of LLMs * Ability to come up with and evaluate research ideas

Skild AI

Research Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

Position Overview We are hiring Research Engineers to develop scalable robotic systems aimed at achieving general-purpose robotic intelligence. In this role, you'll work with researchers and ...

Phonic, Inc.

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About The Role As a Research Engineer at Phonic, you'll sit at the intersection of cutting-edge ML research and production engineering, working directly on the core systems that make Phonic's voice ...

Acceler8 Talent

Research Engineer

Mountain View, CA · On-site

Research Engineer (VLM / Multimodal AI) 📍 Mountain View, CA I am seeking a Research Engineer to join a venture-backed AI and robotics startup building an AI-powered observability platform for ...

Hudson River Trading

Research Engineer

London, CA · On-site

We are seeking highly motivated and skilled Research Engineers who will work very closely with our Algo Developer (Quant Research) trading teams. These roles require exceptional programming ...

Solcoa Industries

Research Engineer

Alameda, CA · On-site

$120K - $175K/yr

The Role - Research Engineer Own difficult, first-principles R&D that unlocks rare-earth metal production at scale. You will design and execute high-temperature experiments, build and operate custom ...

FAR.AI

$100K - $190K/yr

Have experience with at least one object-oriented programming language (preferably Python). * Are results-oriented and motivated by impactful research. It is preferable that you have experience with ...

Factory

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About the Role Factory is seeking innovative Research Engineers to design and integrate advanced AI and ML capabilities that revolutionize productivity and accelerate innovation within software ...

ThirdLayer, Inc.

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

The Role As a Research Engineer, you'll build the systems that let us post-train models continuously: the training pipelines, environment infrastructure, and evaluation harnesses that turn research ...

Caltech

Research Engineer

Pasadena, CA · On-site

As a Research Engineer in the LIGO Laboratory, you will have the opportunity to apply your skills to the design and implementation of technologies that increase the LIGO detector sensitivity and ...

Acceler8 Talent

Research Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$300K/yr

Founding Research Engineer - AI & Defence 📍 San Francisco | Onsite I'm working with a highly ambitious defense AI startup building technology to detect and conduct a novel class of AI-powered ...

Dayhoff Labs

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

The role You'll be a generalist research engineer, moving fluidly across our maintenance and research projects wherever leverage is highest. The through-line is using LLMs and agents to build ...

OpenAI

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$250K - $445K/yr

About the Role As a Research Engineer here, you will be responsible for building AI systems that can perform previously impossible tasks or achieve unprecedented levels of performance. We're looking ...

Free resume

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

As a Research Engineer here, you will be responsible for building AI systems that can perform previously impossible tasks or achieve unprecedented levels of performance. We're looking for people with ...

New

Proximal

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About the role As a research engineer, you will work on open-ended research problems across RL, agents, and data, and share your work with the public through open-source releases, papers and talks.

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Research Engineer information

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$36.5K

$104.6K

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How much do research engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for 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 research engineer?

Research engineers are professionals who apply scientific and engineering principles to conduct research, develop new products, and improve existing technologies. They typically work in laboratories, research and development departments, or academic settings, collaborating with scientists and other engineers. Their work often involves designing experiments, analyzing data, and creating prototypes to solve technical problems or advance knowledge in their field.

How do research engineers typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during a project?

Research Engineers often work closely with scientists, data analysts, product managers, and software engineers to develop and implement innovative solutions. Collaboration usually involves regular meetings to align on project goals, sharing technical findings, and integrating research outcomes into product development. Effective communication and the ability to translate complex research concepts into actionable insights are key to ensuring the project progresses smoothly and meets its objectives.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a research engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Research Engineer, a strong background in engineering principles, advanced mathematics, and scientific research—often supported by a relevant degree or postgraduate study—is essential. Familiarity with data analysis tools like MATLAB or Python, CAD software, and laboratory instrumentation is typically required, along with experience in technical report writing. Strong analytical thinking, creativity, and effective collaboration skills help Research Engineers excel in multidisciplinary teams. These competencies are vital for developing innovative solutions, advancing technology, and ensuring rigorous, impactful research outcomes.

What is the difference between Research Engineer vs Data Scientist?

AspectResearch EngineerData Scientist
Required CredentialsTypically requires a master's or Ph.D. in engineering, computer science, or related fieldsUsually holds a master's or Ph.D. in statistics, computer science, or related areas
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, R&D departments, technology companiesData analysis teams, analytics departments, tech firms
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in engineering, manufacturing, aerospace, and tech industriesCommon in finance, healthcare, marketing, and tech sectors

Research Engineers focus on developing new technologies, prototypes, and engineering solutions, often working on hardware or system design. Data Scientists analyze large datasets to extract insights, build predictive models, and support decision-making. While both roles require strong technical skills and advanced degrees, their core functions and industry applications differ significantly.

Do I need a PhD to be a research engineer?

A PhD is not always required to become a research engineer, as many roles value relevant experience, technical skills, and a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, computer science, or related fields. However, some specialized research positions or advanced projects may prefer or require a doctoral degree. Practical skills, problem-solving ability, and familiarity with tools like MATLAB or Python are also important for success in this role.
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Research Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Research Engineer job openings in California as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 76% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 20% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $104,624 per year, or $50.3 per hour.

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Phonic
Marketing Research • 1 - 10 employees
Learn more about Phonicexternal

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement

Re-posted 5 days ago

Job description

About Phonic
Phonic is a product and research lab focused on powering the most realistic, human-like voice AI conversations. We've re-thought the entire stack in pursuit of this goal, from models to product, to create voice agents that feel like they truly understand you, respond emotionally and perform agentic tasks with frontier intelligence.
Our team includes top-tier AI researchers, international olympiad medalists, and former founders.
Our customers include companies that are building voice-native AI products in industries such as customer support, healthcare, and logistics. We have raised over $30M from tier 1 VCs.
About the Team
Phonic has a very talent-dense and close-knit team. We collaborate with high trust and are constantly trying to improve how we work to deliver world-class research and product. Everyone takes ownership in what they do and they aren't afraid to dive in headfirst into new problems. Our team includes top-tier AI researchers, international olympiad medalists, and former founders and we're fully in-person in our SF office.
About The Role
As a Research Engineer at Phonic, you'll sit at the intersection of cutting-edge ML research and production engineering, working directly on the core systems that make Phonic's voice AI feel genuinely human. You'll design, train, and iterate on models across the voice stack (speech, audio, language, and beyond), while also building the infrastructure and tooling needed to move fast from research idea to deployed product.
This is a role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves with urgency, and takes full ownership of problems. You'll work closely with researchers and product engineers in a high trust, in-person environment in our SF office to push the frontier of what voice AI can do.
What You'll Do
  • Design, implement, and iterate on models across the voice stack from audio and speech to language and beyond
  • Build the training pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and tooling that let us experiment and iterate quickly
  • Translate research results into production-grade systems alongside our engineering team
  • Form hypotheses, chase down interesting results, and take ownership over the problems you work on

What You'll Bring
  • Hands-on experience in ML research or research engineering, industry or PhD-level academia
  • Proficiency in Python and PyTorch (or JAX), and the ability to implement models cleanly from papers
  • Experience running ML experiments end-to-end: data processing, training, evaluation, and iteration
  • Comfort in fast-moving, ambiguous environments - defining the problem is part of the job
  • The ability to clearly explain what you tried, what worked, and why
Nice To Have
  • Research experience in speech, audio, or language modeling (ASR, TTS, LLMs, codec models)
  • Familiarity with diffusion, flow matching, or autoregressive generative models
  • Experience with distributed training, quantization, or inference optimization
  • Competitive programming or olympiad background
Benefits
  • Top-tier compensation: in order to get the best talent, we provide salary and equity that recognize your skillset
  • Meals: free breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided in the office
  • Healthcare: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision
  • We have regular off-sites and team celebrations
  • 401(k) - Let us help you plan for the future. We've got you covered.

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