Job Summary:
Vijil is an AI software startup focused on developing trustworthy AI agents. The Research Scientist / Senior Research Scientist will conduct fundamental research on scalable oversight of AI systems and collaborate with applied scientists to translate research into production capabilities.
Responsibilities:
• Drive original research. Define and pursue research projects at the intersection of trustworthy machine learning, generative modeling, and agentic AI.
• Publish and present. Publish your findings at top-tier machine learning venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AISTATS, UAI, ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, FAccT, COLT) and present them at conferences, workshops, universities, and industry events.
• Work with external collaborators and maintain relationships with relevant research labs and key individuals as appropriate.
• Translate research into product. Collaborate with applied scientists and engineers to turn prototypes into production capabilities that ship in the Vijil platform — measurably improving the reliability, security, and safety of the AI agents our customers deploy in the real world.
• (Senior) Lead and mentor. At the senior level, you will additionally set research direction for sub-areas of the team's agenda, mentor junior researchers and applied scientists, supervise external collaborations, and represent Vijil's research in external forums.
Qualifications:
Required:
• PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, or a related technical field — or equivalent industry research experience.
• Strong publication record at top-tier machine learning venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AISTATS, UAI, ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, FAccT, COLT) demonstrating sustained, independent research contributions.
• Deep technical foundations in machine learning, statistics, and probability — with the mathematical maturity to read, evaluate, and contribute to the cutting edge of the field.
• Strong programming skills in Python and proficiency with at least one major deep learning framework (PyTorch, JAX, or equivalent); experience using agentic coding tools; the ability to design and execute scientifically rigorous experiments at scale.
• Excellent written and verbal communication. You can make complex ideas legible to researchers and non-research stakeholders alike.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research end-to-end — from problem formulation through experimental design, analysis, and dissemination.
Preferred:
• A track record of leading research projects and mentoring junior researchers.
• Recognition in the field — invited talks, area chair service, well-cited contributions, open-source impact, or equivalent signals.
• Experience translating research into production systems or shipped products, ideally in industry or at the research–product boundary.
Company:
Vijil is an AI software startup that helps developers build and operate intelligent agents that people can trust. Founded in 2023, the company is headquartered in Menlo Park, USA, with a team of 11-50 employees. The company is currently Early Stage.