Research Jobs in Santa Clara, CA
Research jobs in Santa Clara are in strong demand, concentrated in the Central Expressway corridor, the Santa Clara Square office park, and the Mission College district across semiconductor, biotech, and enterprise technology sectors. Employers hiring right now include NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, and Apple. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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We are now looking for a Senior Research Scientist for Human‑AI Perception & Interaction! NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It’s a unique legacy of innovation that’s fueled by great technology—and amazing people. Today, we’re tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what’s never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world’s best talent. As an NVIDIAN, you’ll be immersed in a diverse, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work. Come join the team and see how you can make a lasting impact on the world.
We, the Human Performance and Experience (HPX) team at NVIDIA Research, strive to lead AI innovation by deeply understanding humans. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about advancing AI in gaming, robotics, and more by employing human intelligence and human interaction to shape perception, learning, and behavior. We bridge vision science, HCI, and HRI to create systems that perceive, learn, and collaborate with people safely and effectively. You will be working in a team of research scientists and engineers from varied backgrounds and will closely collaborate with product engineers. Join us in redefining the future of AI and human interaction!
What you'll be doing:
Propose, research, prototype and test innovative research ideas.
Publish at top conferences and patent novel inventions.
Collaborate with other research team members, external researchers, and mentor interns.
Create working interactive demonstrations to showcase your research ideas.
Participate in technology transfer with engineers around NVIDIA as ideas "graduate" from research to product.
What we need to see:
Ph.D. or equivalent research experience in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Cognitive Science or related field.
3+ years of relevant work experience
Excellent track record of publications in top-tier conferences (SIGGRAPH, CHI, HRI, ICRA, NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, CoG, ETRA, etc.).
Experience with studying human behaviors in related application domains such as gaming, driving, interacting with robots, etc.
Proficiency with Python, Rust, and/or C++.
Experience with AI model training and evaluation frameworks, like PyTorch.
Ways to stand out from the crowd:
Demonstrated public portfolio (e.g. repositories, OSS contributions, notebooks, packages, or technical blog posts with code).
Experience with multi-node, multi-GPU training and inference workflows.
Familiarity with and interest in modern deep learning models, including working with large-scale, multi-modal foundation models (such as recent LLMs, VLMs).
A track record of applying human behavior models to machine learning applications, or applying machine learning to understand or model human behavior.
You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.
NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.See All 109+ Research Jobs in Santa Clara
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Find Research JobsResearch Job Market in Santa Clara
Who's Hiring
- NVIDIA51

- Palo Alto Networks17

- Apple10

- PlusAI6

- AMD3

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software43
- Electronics & Hardware17
- Agriculture & Farming12
- Law & Legal Services5
- Artificial Intelligence5
Research Jobs in Santa Clara: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a research job in Santa Clara?
The strongest path in Santa Clara is targeting the semiconductor and silicon design firms clustered along the Central Expressway corridor and the biotech companies near the Great America Parkway area. A background in electrical engineering, materials science, or data analysis carries well here. Candidates who have hands-on lab experience or have worked with industry-standard simulation and testing tools tend to move through hiring processes faster than those with purely academic credentials.
Which companies hire researchs in Santa Clara?
Santa Clara research roles are posted by NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, and Apple and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. The local employer base skews heavily toward chip design houses, cloud infrastructure companies, and medical device manufacturers, all of which maintain in-house research teams rather than relying on outside contractors.
Are there remote research jobs in Santa Clara?
Yes, though availability varies sharply by specialty. Computational, data, and literature-review roles often allow remote or hybrid arrangements, while wet-lab, hardware, and fabrication positions require on-site presence. About 19% of research openings tied to Santa Clara are remote or hybrid as of July 2026, with the highest flexibility found in machine learning research and policy analysis roles at technology firms.
How can I get a research job in Santa Clara with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry point in Santa Clara is a research associate or junior analyst role at one of the mid-size semiconductor or SaaS companies that regularly hire recent graduates. Intel, AMD, and similar firms in the area run structured university hiring programs that feed directly into research teams. Internship experience with any Santa Clara-area company, even in a tangentially related function, signals local market familiarity and significantly strengthens an entry-level application.
Which industries hire the most researchs in Santa Clara?
Most research openings in Santa Clara sit in Technology & Software, Electronics & Hardware, and Agriculture & Farming, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. Santa Clara's position as a global center for chip design and cloud infrastructure means research demand is driven by deep product development cycles rather than consulting or services work, keeping headcounts relatively stable even during broader tech hiring slowdowns.
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