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Research Software Engineer Jobs in Berkeley, CA (NOW HIRING)

Meta

Embedded Software Engineer

Burlingame, CA · On-site

$184K/yr

The Reality Labs Research Software Team is looking for an Embedded Software Engineer to help bring all-day wearable AI research platforms to life through collaboration and commitment.Our prototype ...

Cursor

Software Engineer, ML Research

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$241K/yr

Research Engineer Cursor is building the future of coding. We train frontier coding agents and scale RL on real user data to make them increasingly effective. About the role We're looking for ...

Periodic Labs

Software Engineer

Menlo Park, CA · On-site

$250K - $350K/yr

Turn promising research prototypes and scientific workflows into maintainable production systems. * Diagnose bottlenecks and failures across application code, infrastructure, data, and hardware ...

Atom Computing, Inc.

Quantum Software Manager

Berkeley, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

You'll work across the full stack--empowering engineers and physicists to deploy software to support ongoing research and development efforts as well as helping to transform prototype software into ...

Atom Computing

Quantum Software Manager

Berkeley, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

You'll work across the full stack--empowering engineers and physicists to deploy software to support ongoing research and development efforts as well as helping to transform prototype software into ...

Atom Computing

Quantum Software Manager

Berkeley, CA

$200K - $250K/yr

You'll work across the full stack-empowering engineers and physicists to deploy software to support ongoing research and development efforts as well as helping to transform prototype software into ...

Atom Computing

Quantum Software Manager

Berkeley, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

You'll work across the full stack-empowering engineers and physicists to deploy software to support ongoing research and development efforts as well as helping to transform prototype software into ...

Beam

Applied AI Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$241K/yr

Systems or research background in LLM inference * Deep understanding of LLM serving, from the ... Enthusiasm for developer tools, cloud native technologies, and open source software Benefits

New

Alembic

Research Engineer - Causal AI

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

At Alembic, we're not just building software-we're decoding the chaos of modern marketing. Join ... Engineering * 5+ years developing and shipping research code in production environments * Strong ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsResearch Software Engineer JobsResearch Software Engineer Jobs in Berkeley, CA

Research Software Engineer information

See Berkeley, CA salary details

$136.5K

$252.2K

How much do research software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for research software engineer in Berkeley, CA is $245,512.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $251,000.00 and $251,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a research software engineer do?

As a Research Software Engineer, your daily work often involves designing and implementing software to support cutting-edge research projects, collaborating with scientists to understand their computational needs, and ensuring code reliability and reproducibility. You may spend time optimizing algorithms, writing unit tests, documenting software, and participating in code reviews within a collaborative team environment. Additionally, you might help deploy research applications on high-performance or cloud computing platforms and contribute to research publications. Balancing independent programming tasks with ongoing communication is key to making meaningful contributions to both the research and software development processes.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be a research software engineer?

To thrive as a Research Software Engineer, you need strong programming skills (often in Python, C++, or Java), a solid understanding of algorithms, and an academic or industry background in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with version control systems like Git, cloud platforms, and experience using scientific computing libraries and frameworks are valuable, while a master's or Ph.D. can be advantageous for specialized roles. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaborative skills help in working closely with researchers and multidisciplinary teams. These capabilities are crucial for successfully translating complex research problems into robust, reproducible software solutions that advance scientific inquiry.

What job categories do people searching Research Software Engineer jobs in Berkeley, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Research Software Engineer jobs in Berkeley, CA are:

What cities near Berkeley, CA are hiring for Research Software Engineer jobs?

Cities near Berkeley, CA with the most Research Software Engineer job openings:

Research Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Research Software Engineer job openings in Berkeley, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 82% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $245,512 per year, or $118 per hour.

Embedded Software Engineer

Burlingame, CA • On-site

Meta
Internet and IT • 10K+ employees
Learn more about Metaexternal

$184K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 24 days ago

Meta rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 45 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

Job description

The Reality Labs Research Software Team is looking for an Embedded Software Engineer to help bring all-day wearable AI research platforms to life through collaboration and commitment.Our prototype devices enable breakthrough research in contextualized AI — your firmware captures real-world sensor data, manages on-device compute pipelines, and provides the reliable hardware abstraction that makes research breakthroughs possible.This role requires a firmware engineer comfortable working across the entire embedded systems spectrum — from low-level MCU peripheral bring-up to SoC-level system integration — rather than specializing in a single domain. You will work across a rich technology stack including Zephyr RTOS on MCUs, AOSP/Linux on Qualcomm SoCs, multi-camera systems (SLAM, RGB, eye tracking), wireless communications (WiFi, BLE, Sub-GHz), IMU-based sensor fusion, and power-optimized embedded architectures for all-day wearable use. We are looking for someone who sees ambiguity as opportunity, nurtures a sense of ownership in themselves and others, and thrives in an honest and considerate environment. We embrace AI-native ways of working — using AI tools as force multipliers to accelerate development, testing, and iteration. We have many exciting problems to solve, and we depend on people who are comfortable with embracing a creative, thoughtful approach to short-term and long-term problem-solving to drive our innovation.
Embedded Software Engineer Responsibilities:
  • Own the design, development, and debugging of firmware, and embedded software, including sensing and imaging systems
  • Understand and implement firmware on microcontrollers and SoCs, leverage peripherals, manage power consumption, support boot loaders, and schedule real-time tasks (RTOS)
  • Collaborate in a team environment across multiple, research-focused, and engineering disciplines, making the architectural trade-offs required to rapidly deliver firmware solutions, communicating decisions and rationale clearly to a wide range of stakeholders
  • Drive firmware architecture and system bring-up across all phases of custom hardware development, including early requirement definition, firmware and embedded system design, proof-of-concept implementation, selection of MCUs and tools, and board bring-up
  • Define and champion embedded software development practices across teams and projects, including setting expectations, defining the backlog, and tracking progress of contingent staff
  • Provide architectural input in design reviews, influence technical direction across the firmware stack, and serve as a technical expert for the team on complex cross-domain problems for assigned subsystems
  • Leverage AI tools and workflows to accelerate firmware development, code generation, testing, and documentation — applying engineering judgment to determine when AI augmentation improves quality, speed, and team efficiency

Minimum Qualifications:
  • B.S. degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
  • 7+ years of software development experience in embedded systems, firmware, or a related field, or a PhD with 4+ years of experience in embedded systems, firmware, or a related field
  • 3+ years of embedded software development experience in industry settings
  • Experience with embedded software design and programming in C and C++
  • Experience with building drivers for custom hardware systems
  • Hands-on experience with hardware debugging tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol decoders) and register-level system debugging
  • Experience designing firmware solutions from hardware data sheets, including serial protocol (synchronous/asynchronous) interface implementation
  • Experience with real-time operating systems (e.g., Zephyr, FreeRTOS, or an equivalent real-time OS)
  • Experience in independently architecting embedded systems spanning multiple processors or subsystems (e.g., MCU and SoC integration, multi-core designs)

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Familiarity with wireless protocol stacks (BLE, Wi-Fi, or proprietary RF)
  • Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
  • Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies
  • Experience working with international manufacturing partners
  • AOSP experience outside of apps and in the native environment
  • M.S. degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
  • Experience in research or prototyping environments where requirements evolve rapidly
  • Experience with camera or imaging subsystems (ISP, MIPI CSI/DSI)
  • Experience using AI-assisted development tools (code generation, automated testing, AI-powered debugging) to accelerate embedded software workflows
  • Experience with SoC bring-up (ARM Cortex-A/M, Qualcomm, NXP, or similar)

About Meta:
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.
Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com.
$184,000/year to $257,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.

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