AI Research Engineer Jobs
Research Engineers bridge the gap between AI research and engineering. They build the infrastructure, tooling, and systems that enable researchers to conduct experiments at scale, and help translate research breakthroughs into production-ready systems.
Last updated: May 13, 2026
Latest Research Engineer Jobs
View all jobsFrequently Asked Questions
Do Research Engineers need a PhD?
A PhD is not always required for Research Engineer roles, unlike Research Scientist positions. Strong engineering skills, familiarity with ML research, and experience with distributed systems are often more important. In fact, a PhD is not required for most AI roles outside of pure research. Career switchers with strong software engineering backgrounds can transition into research engineering in 3-6 months of focused preparation, especially if they have experience with Python, PyTorch, and cloud platforms.
Where do Research Engineers work?
Research Engineers are found at top AI labs like Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Microsoft Research, as well as at AI-focused startups and university research groups. About 70% of AI graduate students are international, creating a diverse talent pipeline for these positions. AI jobs are 3x more likely to offer remote options than non-AI roles, though many research engineering positions prefer hybrid or on-site work for closer collaboration with research teams.
What is the salary for AI Research Engineers?
AI Research Engineers earn strong compensation, with mid-level roles ranging from $150K-$250K and senior positions reaching $250K-$400K+ at frontier labs. US averages for AI roles sit at $147K-$176K, while AI leadership total compensation can reach approximately $380K. European counterparts earn roughly $100K less than US-based peers, though Switzerland offers the highest European salaries at around $145K.