Research Scientist

A bit about Cantina:

Cantina, founded by Sean Parker, is a new social platform with the most advanced AI character creator. Build, share, and interact with AI bots and your friends directly in the Cantina or across the internet.

Cantina bots are lifelike, social creatures, capable of interacting wherever humans go on the internet. Recreate yourself using powerful AI, imagine someone new, or choose from thousands of existing characters. Bots are a new media type that offer a way for creators to share infinitely scalable and personalized content experiences combined with seamless group chat across voice, video, and text.

If you're excited about the potential AI has to shape human creativity and social interactions, join us in building the future!

About the role: 

We are seeking talented Research Scientists to join our team, focused on advancing the capabilities of our AI-driven social platform. As a Research Scientist, you will play a pivotal role in developing state-of-the-art video and image generation models that enable our AI bots to perceive and interact with visual environments in real-time.

A bit about the work:

• Conduct research to develop novel algorithms and models across speech, text, voice and image modalities. 

• Focus on optimization and efficiency of novel model architectures to enable real time interactions within the product

• Collaborate with product, design and engineering teams to guide research prototypes to production

• Survey and investigate state of the art published research, implement baselines based on that research and extend it given product requirements 

• Publish open source research breakthroughs within the community

A bit about you:

• Ph.D. or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields with a focus on generative modeling, including large language modeling, speech recognition, text to speech or computer vision

• Proven track record of research excellence demonstrated through publications at top-tier conferences or in reputable journals.

• Hands-on experience with training generative AI models in modalities such as video, image, text, audio, at scale, for real-time applications

• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch).

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with a strong sense of ownership and drive to deliver impactful results.

Location:

We have offices located in Sunnyvale, CA, San Francisco, CA and Brooklyn, NY. While we offer fully remote and hybrid employment opportunities, we prefer those who are available (or willing to relocate) to work in the Bay Area.

Pay Equity: 

In compliance with Pay Transparency Laws, the base salary range for this role is between $250,000 - $350,000 for those located in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City and Seattle, WA. When determining compensation, a number of factors will be considered, including skills, experience, job scope, location, and competitive compensation market data.

Application Process: Please submit your resume, cover letter, and any relevant portfolio or publications demonstrating your research contributions in AI.

Benefits Summary:

• Health Care —  99% of premiums for medical, vision, dental are fully paid for by Cantina, plus One Medical membership.

• Monthly Stipend — $500/month to use on whatever you’d like! 

• Rest and Recharge — 15 PTO days per year, 9 sick days, 13 paid company holidays, and offices closed for winter break (Christmas Eve to New Years Day)! 

• 401(K) — Eligible to participate on day one of employment.

• Parental Leave & Fertility Support 

• Competitive Salary & Equity 

• Lunch and snacks provided for in-office employees. 

• WFH equipment provided for full-time hybrid/remote employees.