Applied Research Scientist, AI Research
Descript · San Francisco, CA or Remote, US
Posted 23 days ago · $197,000–$262,500
or apply directly on Descript's site. We never take the application ourselves.
Is this posting real?
- This role has been open
- 23 days Descript's roles stay open a median of 45 days
- Reposted
- No
- Salary listed
- Yes 100% of Descript's roles list one
- Ghost-job risk at Descript
- high 6 stale, 0 reposted of 11 open
- Hiring momentum
- 15 roles opened in the last 90 days ↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
- Last confirmed on the employer's board
- 2026-09-17
Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Descript's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Descript.
About this role
As an Applied Research Scientist on the AI Research team at Descript, you will focus on developing multimodal understanding systems that enhance the company's video editing capabilities. Your work will involve designing benchmarks for evaluating editorial quality, building necessary datasets, training specialized models, and collaborating with engineering teams to transition prototypes into production features. You will also have the opportunity to set research directions and potentially publish your findings in academic venues.
- benefits
- 3/5
- freshness
- 4/5
- career value
- 4/5
- role clarity
- 5/5
- pay transparency
- 5/5
Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Descript as an employer.
What you need
- Proven ability to design and implement deep learning algorithms, demonstrated by publications, open-source work, or models you've shipped.
- Strong programming skills and deep fluency in PyTorch.
- A track record of generating new ideas in machine learning and the ability to run and evaluate many experiments quickly.
- Strong experimental judgment and clear written and verbal communication skills.
- A PhD or Master's in deep learning or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- At least one of the following: lead or first author of an accepted publication in a top venue, or played a key role in shipping a production feature with deep learning as a core component.
Nice to have
- Direct experience in multimodal understanding is welcome but not required.
- Depth in vision-language models and multimodal understanding, generative modeling for video, audio, or images, and building evaluation systems for generative outputs.
What you get
- Base salary range: $197,000–$262,500, plus equity and benefits.
- Generous healthcare package.
- 401k matching program.
- Catered lunches.
- Flexible vacation time.
Worth weighing
- No specific mention of required domain expertise in computer vision or speech and audio, which may indicate a broader focus on general deep learning skills.
- The role involves a significant amount of research that is expected to lead to production features, which may appeal to candidates looking for impactful work.
- Final offer amounts may vary based on multiple factors, which could affect salary expectations.
Summarised from Descript's posting. Read the full original.
Listed by Descript on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-09-17. PitchMeAI is not the employer.
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