AI/ML Researcher Jobs in California
AI/ML Researcher jobs in California concentrate heavily in the technology, life sciences, and autonomous systems sectors, with the state representing one of the most active markets in the world for this role at every level from early-career scientist to principal investigator. The largest hiring activity is in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles, where companies like Google, Meta, and Qualcomm maintain deep research operations. The most in-demand specializations include large language model research, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:
- Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
- Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
- Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
- Sick Time: 40 hours/year (increased to 69 hours/year for Seattle) including 5 discretionary sick days per instance
- Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
- Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
- Holidays: 13 paid days per year
Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Mountain View, CA, USA; Seattle, WA, USA; New York, NY, USA.
Minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
- 2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages, or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree.
- 1 year of experience with ML infrastructure (e.g., model deployment, model evaluation, optimization, data processing, debugging).
Preferred qualifications:
- Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical fields.
- 2 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
- Experience with image processing, computer vision, or machine learning applications.
About the job
Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.
As a part of this team, you will focus on productionizing GenAI shopping features across Google’s most prominent surfaces, including Search, Commerce, Ads, Chrome, and YouTube. Here, you will master the art of scaling multimodal GenAI to production-level quality, leveraging Google’s infrastructure to deliver highly customized, industry-defining user experiences.
Google Ads is at the forefront of AI innovation, applying cutting-edge machine learning and Generative AI models like Gemini to power a multi-billion dollar global business.
Our work directly impacts billions of users by protecting users from harm, improving ad quality, and optimizing campaigns for advertiser return-on-investment. We foster a culture of deep collaboration, partnering closely with teams like Google Research and DeepMind to solve complex challenges. Join us to work on state-of-the-art AI, take on problems at an unparalleled scale, and build the next generation of advertising technology.
Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.US: $147000 - $210000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.
Responsibilities
- Write product or system development code.
- Collaborate with peers and stakeholders through design and code reviews to ensure best practices amongst available technologies (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency).
- Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates and user feedback.
- Triage product or system issues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues and the impact on hardware, network, or service operations and quality.
- Implement solutions in one or more specialized ML areas, utilize ML infrastructure, and contribute to model optimization and data processing.
In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:
- Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
- Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
- Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
- Sick Time: 40 hours/year (increased to 69 hours/year for Seattle) including 5 discretionary sick days per instance
- Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
- Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
- Holidays: 13 paid days per year
Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Mountain View, CA, USA; Seattle, WA, USA; New York, NY, USA.
Minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
- 2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages, or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree.
- 1 year of experience with ML infrastructure (e.g., model deployment, model evaluation, optimization, data processing, debugging).
Preferred qualifications:
- Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical fields.
- 2 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
- Experience with image processing, computer vision, or machine learning applications.
About the job
Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.
As a part of this team, you will focus on productionizing GenAI shopping features across Google’s most prominent surfaces, including Search, Commerce, Ads, Chrome, and YouTube. Here, you will master the art of scaling multimodal GenAI to production-level quality, leveraging Google’s infrastructure to deliver highly customized, industry-defining user experiences.
Google Ads is at the forefront of AI innovation, applying cutting-edge machine learning and Generative AI models like Gemini to power a multi-billion dollar global business.
Our work directly impacts billions of users by protecting users from harm, improving ad quality, and optimizing campaigns for advertiser return-on-investment. We foster a culture of deep collaboration, partnering closely with teams like Google Research and DeepMind to solve complex challenges. Join us to work on state-of-the-art AI, take on problems at an unparalleled scale, and build the next generation of advertising technology.
Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.US: $147000 - $210000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.
Responsibilities
- Write product or system development code.
- Collaborate with peers and stakeholders through design and code reviews to ensure best practices amongst available technologies (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency).
- Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates and user feedback.
- Triage product or system issues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues and the impact on hardware, network, or service operations and quality.
- Implement solutions in one or more specialized ML areas, utilize ML infrastructure, and contribute to model optimization and data processing.
See All 44 AI/ML Researcher Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find AI/ML Researcher JobsAI/ML Researcher Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
AI/ML Researcher Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Banking & Financial Services
- Electronics & Hardware
- Automotive
- Technology & Software
- Investment & Asset Management
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in AI/ML researcher jobs across California.
- PhD or Master's degree in computer science, machine learning, or a closely related field
- Strong publication record in peer-reviewed venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, or CVPR
- Proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks including PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Hands-on experience designing and running large-scale experiments on GPU clusters
- Ability to translate research findings into production-ready models or system improvements
- Familiarity with responsible AI principles and bias evaluation methods in model development
AI/ML Researcher Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a ai/ml researcher in California?
Most California employers require at least a Master's degree, and many research-focused roles expect a PhD in computer science, statistics, or a related field. California has no state-issued license for ai/ml researchers, so the path runs through academic training, a strong publication record, and demonstrated project experience. Completing a PhD program at a California institution or completing industry research internships at Bay Area or San Diego companies is the most common route into a full-time researcher role.
Which companies hire ai/ml researchers in California?
California ai/ml researcher roles are posted by Amazon Web Services, General Motors, and AMD and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's concentration of both major tech headquarters and well-funded research labs means openings appear across a wide range of organization types, from hyperscale platforms to specialized AI-first companies.
Which California cities have the most ai/ml researcher jobs?
San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Mountain View account for the largest share of ai/ml researcher openings in California. The San Francisco Bay Area leads because of its density of technology headquarters and independent research labs, Los Angeles is growing quickly through entertainment-tech and autonomous vehicle companies, and San Diego draws demand from defense contractors, genomics firms, and Qualcomm's semiconductor research operations.
Are there remote ai/ml researcher jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 69% of ai/ml researcher openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the desk-based and collaborative-digital nature of much research work. The portions of the role most commonly done remotely include literature review, model training, and writing, while lab-adjacent or hardware-dependent research positions are more likely to require an on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a ai/ml researcher in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a research internship or a PhD-adjacent role such as research engineer or research assistant, which large California employers including Google DeepMind, Meta AI, and applied research divisions at semiconductor companies run as formal programs. Candidates who build an open-source project, contribute to a public dataset, or co-author even one workshop paper gain a measurable edge. Moving laterally from a software engineering or data science role within a company that has an internal research group is another well-worn route into the field.
Where can I find and apply to ai/ml researcher jobs in California?
You can find and apply to ai/ml researcher jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings in one place. Search the listings to find roles that fit your background, experience level, and preferred location, then apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 44 AI/ML Researcher Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find AI/ML Researcher Jobs