Research Scientist - AI Incubation

Company: Zoom
Location: Seattle
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

What you can expect Zoom's AI Incubation team is seeking a Research Scientist to contribute to the next wave of LLM post-training, reinforcement learning, and federated AI innovation. You will join a world-class group of PhDs and applied scientists focused on pushing the boundaries of model alignment, reasoning, and agentic intelligence. As a Research Scientist, you will advance Zoom's applied AI research, working with cutting-edge LLM post-training, RLHF/DPO/RLAIF, federated AI, and multimodal intelligence to deliver breakthroughs that redefine human-AI collaboration. You will participate in incubation efforts that transform bold research ideas into scalable, production-ready systems powering the next generation of Zoom AI Companion. About the Team The AI Incubation team is a high-impact applied research group that has built one of the best-performing federated AI systems in the industry. The team operates at the frontier of LLM post-training, reinforcement learning for agentic AI, multimodal understanding, federated AI, and AI evaluation. Zoom's federated AI architecture—spanning Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google models—enables privacy-preserving, edge-to-cloud learning that adapts to user context while maintaining enterprise-grade governance. The Incubation team plays a central role in advancing this federated AI leadership, developing new methods for distributed model optimization, personalized prefix learning, and secure collaboration. Responsibilities Conducting frontier research in LLM post-training, reinforcement learning, and federated AI to achieve state-of-the-art reasoning, personalization, and reliability. Developing and implementing evaluation and benchmarking frameworks for model performance, safety, and user experience across distributed environments. Contributing to model architectures, fine-tuning strategies, and reinforcement learning pipelines across Zoom's federated AI ecosystem. Partnering with product and infra teams to translate research prototypes into scalable, production-grade AI systems that leverage edge and cloud collaboration. Participating in a culture of scientific rigor, creativity, and rapid experimentation. Exploring emerging AI paradigms—from agentic reasoning and multimodal fusion to self-improving federated systems—to continuously advance Zoom's AI frontier. What we’re looking for Have a PhD or advanced degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field. Demonstrate proven expertise in LLM post-training, RLHF/DPO/PPO, federated learning, or reinforcement learning for reasoning and alignment. Have deep understanding of large-scale distributed training systems and experience with PyTorch, Transformers, DeepSpeed, or CUDA. Hold a publication or open-source record demonstrating innovation in LLM optimization, federated AI, or agentic intelligence. Demonstrate passion for applied AI research that bridges scientific discovery and real-world impact. Have experience implementing AI research concepts and translating them into practical applications. Salary Range or On Target Earnings: Minimum: $137,700.00 Maximum: $275,400.00 In addition to the base salary and/or OTE listed Zoom has a Total Direct Compensation philosophy that takes into consideration; base salary, bonus and equity value. Note: Starting pay will be based on a number of factors and commensurate with qualifications & experience. We also have a location based compensation structure; there may be a different range for candidates in this and other locations. Ways of Working Our structured hybrid approach is centered around our offices and remote work environments. The work style of each role, Hybrid, Remote, or In-Person is indicated in the job description/posting. Benefits As part of our award-winning workplace culture and commitment to delivering happiness, our benefits program offers a variety of perks, benefits, and options to help employees maintain their physical, mental, emotional, and financial health; support work-life balance; and contribute to their community in meaningful ways. Click Learn for more information. About Us Zoomies help people stay connected so they can get more done together. We set out to build the best collaboration platform for the enterprise, and today help people communicate better with products like Zoom Contact Center, Zoom Phone, Zoom Events, Zoom Apps, Zoom Rooms, and Zoom Webinars. We’re problem-solvers, working at a fast pace to design solutions with our customers and users in mind. Find room to grow with opportunities to stretch your skills and advance your career in a collaborative, growth-focused environment. Our Commitment? At Zoom, we believe great work happens when people feel supported and empowered. We’re committed to fair hiring practices that ensure every candidate is evaluated based on skills, experience, and potential. If you require an accommodation during the hiring process, let us know—we’re here to support you at every step. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives including qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records and any qualified applicants requiring reasonable accommodations in accordance with the law. If you need assistance navigating the interview process due to a medical disability, please submit an Accommodations Request Form and someone from our team will reach out soon. This form is solely for applicants who require an accommodation due to a qualifying medical disability. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed. Think of this opportunity as a marathon, not a sprint! We're building a strong team at Zoom, and we're looking for talented individuals to join us for the long haul. No need to rush your application – take your time to ensure it's a good fit for your career goals. We continuously review applications, so submit yours whenever you're ready to take the next step.

Keywords: Zoom, Everett , Research Scientist - AI Incubation, IT / Software / Systems , Seattle, Washington