Senior Principal Research Engineer

Autodesk•Boston, MA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Senior Principal Research Engineer on the AEC Solutions team, you will join a group of technologists to help build foundation models and generative AI tools for the AEC industry. You will work collaboratively to create and interpret design data that enhances design and engineering workflows, while providing technical leadership and mentoring to junior team members.

Requirements

Ph.D . or M.Sc. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
10+ years of experience in Machine Learning , Engineering, or related fields
2+ years of experience leading technical projects or mentoring junior engineers
Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership in cross-functional environments
Hands-on experience in data modeling, architecture, and processing across multiple representations, including 2D/ 3D geometry
Experience with computational geometry and geometric data methods
Familiarity with machine learning concepts and frameworks, and how data is represented for training
Proficiency in Python and strong software engineering practices
Ability to translate theoretical concepts into practical solutions and prototypes
Strong documentation skills for code, architectures, and experiments
Background in Architecture, Engineering, or Construction (AEC)
Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and guide technical decisions

Nice To Haves

Experience with AEC data formats (e.g., BIM models, IFC files, CAD files, Drawing Sets)
Knowledge of the AEC industry and its specific data processing challenges
Understanding of deep learning architectures (CNNs, Transformers) and familiarity with frameworks like PyTorch or Lightning
Solid understanding of core computer science algorithms and scalability considerations
Experience with AWS cloud services and SageMaker Studio for scalable data processing
Experience managing or leading small technical teams
Track record of driving technical innovation and best practices

Responsibilities

Lead and collaborate with other engineers to develop scalable data pipelines for diverse AEC data sources
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance on complex data engineering challenges
Work with large-scale, multi-modal datasets—including text and geometric data—to support preprocessing, augmentation, analysis, and content understanding
Transform unstructured AEC data into representations suitable for machine learning
Lead cross-functional collaboration with ML Research Scientists and Engineers to align data formats with downstream training and fine-tuning of LLMs
Apply deduplication, normalization, and validation techniques to ensure high-quality data at scale
Architect and optimize pipelines for scalability, reproducibility, and cloud deployment
Drive technical decision-making and influence engineering best practices across the team
Perform requirements analysis, working with team members of different levels and documenting solutions clearly
Lead initiatives to communicate findings through quantitative analysis, visuals, and clear insights
Contribute to agile workflows, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness to evolving project needs
Participate in technical planning and roadmap development