Lead Research Scientist; Science

About Oumi

Oumi is on a mission to make frontier AI truly open for all. We are founded on the belief that AI will have a transformative impact on humanity, and that developing it collectively, in the open, is the best path forward to ensure that it is done efficiently and safely.

Oumi provides an all-in-one platform to build state-of-the-art AI models, end to end, from data preparation to production deployment, empowering innovators to build cutting‑edge models at any scale. Oumi also develops open foundation models in collaboration with academic collaborators and the open community.

Oumi is fundamentally an open‑source first company, with open‑collaboration across the community as a core principle. Our work is:

• Open Source First:
  All our platform and core technology is open source
• Research‑driven:
  We conduct and publish original research in AI, collaborating with our community of academic research labs and collaborators
• Community‑powered:
  We believe in the power of open‑collaboration and welcome contributions from researchers and developers worldwide

As a seasoned expert in GenAI research, you will spearhead our commitment to transparent, collaborative, and accessible AI research. You will lead initiatives focused on advancing state‑of‑the‑art models for Large Language Models (LLMs), Vision Language Models (VLMs), and related technologies. You’ll collaborate with cross‑functional teams, and lead research efforts across dozens of academics from universities, drive open‑source innovation, and contribute to the development of our all‑in‑one platform.

• Lead research initiatives on LLM/VLM development, focusing on training, evaluation, data curation, benchmarking, and optimization techniques.
• Develop and execute strategic plans for advancing AI/ML capabilities within Oumi’s open‑source platform.
• Publish high‑impact research in top‑tier conferences and journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, ICLR, …), contributing significant advancements to open AI.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with academic institutions, research labs, and individual scholars to create a robust network of open science contributors.
• Mentor junior researchers and engineers on best practices, sharing expertise to foster growth and development within the team.

• Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field (Machine Learning/AI).
• Extensive publication history in top‑tier AI/ML conferences and journals.
• Proven leadership skills, having led research efforts and managed projects to successful outcomes.
• Deep understanding of machine learning concepts (deep learning frameworks like PyTorch). Familiarity with large language models (LLMs) and/or vision language models (VLMs).
• Strong familiarity with open‑source projects, a passion for contributing to the community.
• Self‑starter who can work independently, take ownership of initiatives, and drive results.
• Values aligned with Oumi’s:
  Beneficial for all, Customer‑obsessed, Radical Ownership, Exceptional Teammates, Science‑grounded.

• Equity in a high‑growth startup
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance
• 21 days PTO
• Regular team offsites and events

• Hybrid work environment, with offices in:
  • Seattle, WA
  • Palo Alto, CA
  • New York, NY