Research Scientist

Snapshot

Our team is focused on ensuring the safe and beneficial development of Google's most advanced AI systems as they progress toward AGI. We specialize in creating and implementing cutting-edge algorithms and methods to address the unique safety challenges posed by frontier models and autonomous agents. Our work involves a mix of foundational research and large-scale empirical validation to build scalable solutions for model alignment, interpretability, and responsibility. We collaborate closely with other research and product teams to ensure our AI systems are robust, predictable, and aligned with human values.

About us

Artificial Intelligence could be one of humanity’s most useful inventions. At Google DeepMind, we’re a team of scientists, engineers, machine learning experts and more, working together to advance the state of the art in artificial intelligence. We use our technologies for widespread public benefit and scientific discovery, and collaborate with others on critical challenges, ensuring safety and ethics are the highest priority.

The role

This Research Scientist position is a unique opportunity to lead foundational research on frontier AI safety problems. You will be instrumental in developing the core scientific understanding and techniques that allow us to build and deploy increasingly autonomous and capable AI systems responsibly.

Key responsibilities

• Conceive, design, and lead research projects to develop novel algorithms for the safety, alignment, and interpretability of advanced AI agents.
• Drive the full research lifecycle, from theoretical ideation and mathematical formulation to implementation and large-scale empirical validation.
• Design and conduct rigorous evaluations and red-teaming exercises to discover and mitigate potential risks in next-generation models.
• Write software to implement research ideas and iterate quickly.
• Collaborate with world-class research and engineering teams to embed research directly into the AI development lifecycle.
• Stay at the forefront of the field by engaging with the latest theoretical research in machine learning and AI safety.

About you

You are passionate about the long-term societal implications of AI and have a strong desire to solve the fundamental technical challenges required for its safe development. You possess deep theoretical knowledge and the strong engineering skills needed to bring complex research ideas to life.

In order to set you up for success as a Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, we look for the following skills and experience:

• A PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in designing and implementing machine learning algorithms in Python.
• Hands-on experience with at least one major deep learning framework such as JAX, PyTorch, or TensorFlow.
• A strong mathematical background and the ability to engage with theoretical research in machine learning.
• Working experience with modern AI architectures (e.g., Transformers, Diffusion) and a comprehensive knowledge of machine learning fundamentals.
• A strong interest in ensuring AI development benefits humanity.

In addition, the following would be an advantage: 

• A strong track record of research, including publications in top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR).
• Expertise in one or more of these areas: AI safety, model interpretability (explainable AI),  or AI alignment.
• Experience leading research projects and engaging in team collaborations to meet ambitious research goals.
• Experience with large-scale training and evaluation of deep learning models

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $166,000 - $244,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your targeted location during the hiring process.

Application deadline: 6pm ET Friday 31st October 2025

Note: In the event your application is successful and an offer of employment is made to you, any offer of employment will be conditional on the results of a background check, performed by a third party acting on our behalf. For more information on how we handle your data, please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy.

At Google DeepMind, we value diversity of experience, knowledge, backgrounds and perspectives and harness these qualities to create extraordinary impact. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis as protected by applicable law. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.