Research Engineer - Agency and Reasoning

Zyphra is an artificial intelligence company based in San Francisco, California. The Role: As a Research Engineer - Agency and Reasoning , you will be a core contributor to Zyphra’s Agency and Reasoning Team. You will be involved with performing novel research in reinforcement learning, post-training, and human preference learning, and applying your ideas at scale to our next generation of language models. What We’re Looking For / Requirements: Strong research taste and intuition The ability to work through a research project from conception to execution to write-up Strong implementation and prototyping skillset A researcher who can take an idea from conception to experimentation extremely quickly The ability to work well and cooperate with others in a high-paced research setting Curiosity, interest, and joy in understanding intelligence. Qualifications / Additional Skills: Experience and aptitude with reinforcement learning, either in the context of language model reasoning or more classical RL tasks Experience with language-model-supervised fine-tuning and preference-learning methods, such as DPO and simPO. Experience with context-length extension methods A good intuitive ability to understand model behaviors and correct them through iterative fine-tuning Interest in grappling in detail with data and spending significant time involved in data engineering and synthetic data generation Postgraduate degree in a scientific subject (Computer Science, EE/EECS, Mathematics, Physics) Previously published machine learning research in well-respected venues Highly proficient with PyTorch and Python We are excited and able to rapidly learn new fields and implement new ideas Excellent communication and collaboration skills, and can work effectively on both research and engineering implementation at scale Why Work at Zyphra: Our research methodology is to make grounded, methodical steps toward ambitious goals. Both deep research and engineering excellence are equally valued We strongly value new and crazy ideas and are very willing to bet big on new ideas We move as quickly as we can; we aim to minimize the bar to impact as low as possible We all enjoy what we do and love discussing AI Benefits and Perks: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and FSA plans Competitive compensation and 401(k) plan Relocation and immigration support on a case-by-case basis In-office snacks and meals provided Unlimited PTO and company holidays In-person team in San Francisco with a collaborative, high-energy environment