Contextual AI Research Scientist

Meta•Redmond, WA

About The Position

Reality Labs Research (RL-R) unites an industry-leading team of researchers, developers, and engineers to advance AR and VR technologies. The Surreal research group at RL-R is seeking an Research Scientist (IC6) with proven experience in agentic AI to tackle challenges in machine perception and Contextual AI. You will play a pivotal role in developing research devices and algorithms that understand the world from a human’s perspective, laying the foundation for future AR glasses and immersive experiences. As an IC6 Research Scientist, you will drive the design, analysis, and optimization of Contextual AI algorithms for Project Aria and related prototypes. You will collaborate across disciplines to push the boundaries of computer vision, multimodal AI, and real-time systems, with a focus on low-power, on-device, and distributed processing.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
Extensive experience leading and delivering solutions in core Computer Vision and multimodal AI
Proven track record in low-latency, server-side systems and distributed processing
Demonstrated experience to plan and execute multi-year research roadmaps, aligning short-term projects with long-term vision
Experience mentoring and influencing engineers and researchers across organizations
10+ years deploying foundational research into machine learning products
Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
Expertise in Computer Vision, Robotics, Sensor Fusion, or Machine Learning
Experience technically leading teams of ML and software engineers, owning the full model lifecycle from research to deployment
Track record of shipping computer vision or image processing products to millions of users, or initiating new product lines
Experience in rapid prototyping of systems spanning devices and backend services
Background in embedded or real-time systems
Publication record in relevant fields

Responsibilities

Lead research and development of Contextual AI algorithms for next-generation AR devices, including Project Aria prototypes
Design, analyze, and optimize real-time computer vision and machine learning algorithms across heterogeneous compute platforms (custom Meta SoCs, mobile, and cloud)
Translate cutting-edge research ideas into efficient, scalable implementations through algorithm and model adaptation
Characterize and tune models for device-specific use cases, optimizing for low power, low latency, and limited memory
Architect and optimize Contextual AI systems spanning glasses, mobile devices, and cloud-based processing chains
Collaborate with cross-functional teams of scientists and engineers, making architectural trade-offs to deliver multimodal contextual AI solutions
Mentor and influence engineers and researchers in a collaborative environment
Communicate complex technical concepts and research findings clearly to broad audiences
Stay abreast of emerging technologies and research, embracing ambiguity and driving innovation in real-time Contextual AI