Applied Researcher at Variant (F24) $150K - $300K • 0.50% - 1.75% Creative intelligence San Francisco, CA, US Full-time Will sponsor Any (new grads ok) About Variant Software should be beautiful. Variant generates software that’s actually well designed. Instead of a confined conversation, it creates endless designs from a single idea. You can freely explore, discover directions you wouldn’t have thought of, and build better software as a result. We call this generative creativity. And it’s how creating software should work. About the role Skills: Torch/PyTorch, ML, Python, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Reinforcement learning (RL), Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision Software should be beautiful. Variant is code generation with creativity and taste. Instead of a confined conversation, you can generate endless designs from a single idea. Freely explore, discover directions you wouldn’t have thought of, and build better software as a result. We're well-capitalized and looking for an applied researcher to join us at Variant. Job Responsibilities: Design, train, and evaluate deep neural networks and LLMs Own experiments end-to-end: hypotheses, datasets, metrics, results Prototype fast; turn promising ideas into reliable systems Collaborate with engineering and design to make ideas real Write clearly: papers, docs, and crisp experiment reports Don't compromise between rigor and shipping fast See what needs to be done and do it Minimal qualifications: 2+ years in PhD program or in industry Experience training deep neural networks Proficiency in frameworks like Pytorch Published 1 or more papers in the subject of deep learning Ideal qualifications: Experience training LLMs, including SFT, RL-based techniques, etc. Experience in the domain of code generation At least 1 paper accepted into a top conference Proficiency in best software engineering practices Repeated experience formulating, structuring, and answering open ended questions Passionate about visual design or UI design; prior work in the space We've kept our team small by design. Your code will matter from day one, and its impact will compound over time. This will be the most meaningful work of your career. We work from a beautiful space in San Francisco where we dream up the future and make it real together. We’re well-capitalized and backed by notable investors. If you've built things you're proud of, we'd love to see them.