AI Researcher

AI Researcher

This posting is for an existing vacancy

Mountain View, California (on-site)

$55.00 to $70.00 per hour

1 year contract, potential for extension

Job Summary

A research team working on intelligent vehicle and transportation technology is adding a PhD-level AI researcher. The work sits where large language models, agentic AI, multi-agent systems, world models, reinforcement learning, and knowledge distillation meet, with the goal of getting capable AI to run efficiently across cloud, edge, and embedded hardware. You will be doing original research and building working prototypes, not maintaining production software.

Responsibilities

• Advance AI and machine learning systems that support intelligent transportation and autonomous applications
• Build multi-agent AI systems that can collaborate, negotiate, plan, and carry out tasks
• Research LLM-based reasoning and autonomous planning for long-horizon decision making
• Build teacher and student learning frameworks that move reasoning, planning, and collaboration ability from large foundation models down to compact models that run on edge hardware
• Prototype frameworks and algorithms in Python using tools such as Auto Gen, Lang Chain, or custom orchestration layers
• Publish original research at top-tier conferences and in journals, and generate patents and other intellectual property

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline, with a focus on AI or machine learning
• Research experience in generative AI, agentic AI, and AI safety and alignment
• Research experience with foundation models, including LLMs, VLMs, and other large-scale AI architectures, covering fine-tuning, evaluation, and applying them to domain-specific problems
• Strong Python skills and experience with common libraries such as Tensor Flow and Py Torch
• Able to run general research activities end to end, including defining the problem, finding and using research data, and presenting findings and recommendations in writing and in person

Work Environment

This is a fully on-site role in Mountain View, California, working alongside a research group. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States and currently live within a 100-mile radius of Mountain View, CA.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Mountain View, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $70.00/hr eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision;
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital; 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available;
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents);
Short and long-term disability;
Health Spending Account (HSA);
Transportation benefits;
Employee Assistance Program;
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Mountain View,CA.

Final date to receive applications

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 19, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a Clearly Rated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to…