Research Scientist

MEET DEEPL DeepL is a global AI product and research company focused on building secure, intelligent solutions to complex business problems. Over 200,000 business customers and millions of individuals across 228 global markets today trust DeepL's Language AI platform for human-like translation, improved writing and real-time voice translation. Building on a history of innovation, quality and security, DeepL continues to expand its offerings beyond the field of Language, including DeepL Agent - an autonomous AI assistant designed to transform the way businesses and knowledge workers get work done. Founded in 2017 by CEO Jarek Kutylowski, DeepL now has over 1,000 passionate employees and is supported by world-renowned investors including Benchmark, IVP, and Index Ventures. Our goal is to become the global leader in trusted, intelligent AI technology, building products that drive better communication, foster connections, and create a meaningful impact. To achieve this, we need talented people like you to join our journey. If you’re ready to shape the future of AI and grow your career in a fast-moving, purpose-driven environment, DeepL is your next destination. WHAT SETS US APART What sets us apart is our blend of cutting-edge AI technology, meaningful work, and a culture where people truly thrive. We’re a team of innovators, researchers, and creators driven by a shared purpose to unlock human potential by making work simpler, smarter, and more connected. When we share what it’s like to work at DeepL, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. This might be because of our technology that helps millions of people and businesses communicate and work better every day, or because of the trust, curiosity, and care that shape our culture. What we know for sure is this: being part of DeepL means joining a team dedicated to innovation, growth, and well-being. Discover more about life at DeepL onLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepl/,Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepl_official/, and our Blog https://www.deepl.com/en/blog. MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THIS JOURNEY DeepL is a global communications platform powered by Language AI, dedicated to breaking down language barriers since 2017. Our human-sounding translations and intelligent writing suggestions are designed with enterprise security in mind, enabling over 100,000 businesses to transform communications and improve productivity. What sets us apart is our blend of modern technology, massive proprietary datasets, and one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers. At DeepL, research isn’t just an academic exercise; it’s a mission to see your work deployed into products loved by millions worldwide. THE OPPORTUNITY: DEFINE THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION We are looking for passionate Research Scientists to join our core AI pillars. This unified role covers three of our most critical research areas. Depending on your expertise and interest, you will join one of the following teams: - Language AI: Building the world's leading translation and text-improvement systems, taking responsibility for the entire model lifecycle from data to deployment. - Foundation Model Task Adaptation (FMTA): Shaping how our models learn beyond pre-training. You will focus on RLHF, alignment, and post-training to enable new reasoning and controllability capabilities. Voice AI: Solving the "art of the possible" for real-time voice communication, including transcription, speech-to-speech translation, and low-latency audio generation. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES - Innovate & Build: Design and deploy state-of-the-art AI models—whether for translation, large-scale model alignment (RLHF/RLAIF), or multi-modal voice processing. - Scale at Speed: Train neural networks at scale on DeepL’s dedicated GPU clusters, pushing the boundaries of performance while aggressively optimizing for low-latency production environments. - End-to-End Ownership: Manage the entire lifecycle of research: from theoretical modeling and prototyping to ablation studies and production deployment. - Collaborate Globally: Work alongside ML Platform, HPC, and DevOps teams to integrate your research into a robust infrastructure that serves millions of users. - Advance the Field: Lead research initiatives that improve our mathematical understanding of neural networks, ensuring reproducibility and high scientific standards. - Operational Excellence: Participate in shared on-call rotations (specific to Voice/Production teams) to ensure the reliability of our global AI services. Qualities we look for We seek researchers with a strong practical background and a passion for solving hard problems with real-world impact. - Technical Foundation: A solid mathematical background with a PhD, Master’s, or equivalent industry experience in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field. - Engineering Proficiency: Deep practical experience in Python and at least one modern framework (PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow) evidenced through significant research projects or internships. - Research Track Record: A history of leading self-directed research projects that deliver tangible results including academic publications. - Domain Expertise: Specialized experience in at least one of the following would be beneficial: - Large-scale LLM post-training and alignment (RLHF, RLAIF, RLVR). - Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and text modeling. - Voice/Audio modalities (ASR, TTS, or Speech-to-Speech). - Production Mindset: Proven experience scaling and shipping large-scale deep learning models to production is a significant plus. - Communication: High proficiency in English; additional languages are a plus. - Execution & Autonomy: A history of taking ownership over technical tasks - from initial experimentation to stable code - with the ability to work independently. WHAT WE OFFER - Diverse and internationally distributed team: joining our team means becoming part of a large, global community with people of more than 90 nationalities. We're more than just colleagues; we're a group of professionals with a shared mission to connect diverse cultures. Our global presence is growing–we've doubled in size nearly every year, with our employees based in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the US, and Japan, and we continue to expand our network. - Open communication, regular feedback: as a language-focused company, we value the importance of clear, honest communication. We value smooth collaboration, direct and actionable feedback, and believe that leading with empathy and growth mindset makes us better together. - Hybrid work, flexible hours: we offer a hybrid work schedule, with team members coming into the office twice a week. This allows you to engage directly with your team and experience the unique energy of our workspace, while still enjoying the flexibility and comfort of working from home. With flexible working hours and trust in your productivity, we are in sync with your team’s general locations and time zones to foster effective and seamless collaboration. - Virtual Shares - An ownership mindset in every role. We believe everyone should share in our success, and that’s why every employee receives Virtual Shares, linking your contribution directly to DeepL’s growth and rewarding you with a stake in our future. - Regular in-person team events: we bond over vibrant events that are as unique as our team, from local team and business unit gatherings, to new-joiner onboardings, to company-wide events that bring us all together–literally. - Monthly full-day hacking sessions: every month, we have Hack Fridays, where you can spend your time diving into a project you're passionate about and get the opportunity to work with other teams–we value your initiatives, impact, and creativity. - 30 days of annual leave: we value your peace of mind. With 30 days off (excluding public holidays) and access to mental health resources, we make sure you're as strong mentally as you are professionally. - Competitive benefits: just as our team spans the globe, so does our benefits package. We've crafted it to reflect the diversity of our team and tailored it to align with your unique location, to ensure you feel supported every step of the way. WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER You are welcome at DeepL for who you are—we appreciate authenticity here. Our product is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all succeed, contribute, and think forward! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our diversity that we will find the power to break down language barriers in the world.