Senior+ AI Researcher (Large Language Models)

Tavus • San Francisco, CA

85d

About The Position

Tavus is a research lab pioneering human computing. We’re building AI Humans: a new interface that closes the gap between people and machines, free from the friction of today’s systems. Our real-time human simulation models let machines see, hear, respond, and even look real; enabling meaningful, face-to-face conversations. AI Humans combine the emotional intelligence of humans with the reach and reliability of machines, making them capable, trusted agents available 24/7, in every language, on our terms. Imagine a therapist anyone can afford. A personal trainer that adapts to your schedule. A fleet of medical assistants that can give every patient the attention they need. With Tavus, individuals, enterprises, and developers can all build AI Humans to connect, understand, and act with empathy at scale. We’re a Series A company backed by world-class investors including Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, and Scale Venture Partners. Be part of shaping a future where humans and machines truly understand each other.

Requirements

• A PhD or equivalent experience, plus 2–3+ years of postdoctoral or industry research on LLMs/VLMs.
• Proven expertise in generative language modeling and demonstrated innovation through prototyping.
• Strong track record in LLM adaptation, conditioning, or control methods.
• Experience with large model training at scale.
• Excellent programming skills (especially in PyTorch) and ability to move seamlessly between research and engineering tasks.
• Publications in top-tier conferences (EMNLP, COLING, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV).
• Experience leading research efforts or directing technical agendas within teams.

Nice To Haves

• Broader understanding of generative AI beyond text (multimodal, speech, vision).
• Strong grounding in deep learning methodologies that generalize across domains.
• Familiarity with best practices in software engineering and reproducible ML.

Responsibilities

• Lead research on LLMs and VLMs for Conversational Avatars, focusing on modeling verbal + non-verbal interactions.
• Design and implement fine-tuning, adaptation, and conditioning techniques to control LLM behavior and align it with real-world conversational needs.
• Prototype, train, and optimize models that can operate in real-time generation settings with time budget constraints.
• Collaborate with the Applied ML and Product teams to move research into impactful production systems.
• Mentor other researchers, set research directions, and foster scientific excellence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees