Research Scientist Jobs in San Jose, CA
Research Scientist jobs in San Jose concentrate in North San Jose, the Discovery Triangle, and Downtown, with strong demand across semiconductor, biotech, and enterprise technology sectors from employers that include TikTok, ByteDance, and Honda Research Institute USA. Openings range from early-career lab roles to senior and principal positions in computational, materials, and life sciences research. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Responsibilities
About the team
The Intelligent Creation Team is the AI, special effects, and audio-video creation technology team, responsible for the core technology and business development. It covers a variety of technical fields, including deep learning, computer vision, graphics, speech, shooting and editing, special effects, client and server engineering, and provides cutting-edge content understanding, content creation, interactive experience, and consumption capabilities and industry solutions to other business lines within the company and external partners in various forms.
- Conduct cutting-edge research and development in computer vision and machine learning, especially in the areas of generative AI (e.g. image, video, or 3D generation).
- Transfer advanced technologies to the company's products.
- Explore new products with artificial intelligence technology at its core.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- 3+ years of research and practical experience in one or more areas of computer vision, including but not limited to:
- Generative model customization and personalization, especially diffusion models and GANs
- Multimodal and controlled image and video generation by text, audio, video and other modalities.
- Preferring candidates with publications in top-tier venues such as CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia, etc.
- Highly competent in algorithms and programming; Strong coding skills in C/C++ and Python.
- Work and collaborate well with team members.
- Ability to work independently.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $254400 - $480000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
Responsibilities
About the team
The Intelligent Creation Team is the AI, special effects, and audio-video creation technology team, responsible for the core technology and business development. It covers a variety of technical fields, including deep learning, computer vision, graphics, speech, shooting and editing, special effects, client and server engineering, and provides cutting-edge content understanding, content creation, interactive experience, and consumption capabilities and industry solutions to other business lines within the company and external partners in various forms.
- Conduct cutting-edge research and development in computer vision and machine learning, especially in the areas of generative AI (e.g. image, video, or 3D generation).
- Transfer advanced technologies to the company's products.
- Explore new products with artificial intelligence technology at its core.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- 3+ years of research and practical experience in one or more areas of computer vision, including but not limited to:
- Generative model customization and personalization, especially diffusion models and GANs
- Multimodal and controlled image and video generation by text, audio, video and other modalities.
- Preferring candidates with publications in top-tier venues such as CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia, etc.
- Highly competent in algorithms and programming; Strong coding skills in C/C++ and Python.
- Work and collaborate well with team members.
- Ability to work independently.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $254400 - $480000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
See All 340+ Research Scientist Jobs in San Jose
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Find Research Scientist JobsResearch Scientist Job Market in San Jose
Who's Hiring
- TikTok157
- ByteDance118
- Honda Research Institute USA26
- Qorvo9
- AMD4
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Science & Research
Research Scientist Jobs in San Jose: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a research scientist job in San Jose?
Focus your search on San Jose's highest-density research corridors: North San Jose's semiconductor and chip design firms, the Discovery Triangle's biotech and medical device companies, and the downtown and Midtown corridors anchored by enterprise tech campuses. Candidates with domain expertise in AI, materials science, or molecular biology stand out most. A portfolio of published work, patents, or proprietary research tied to the industries active in San Jose gives you a clear edge over generalist applicants.
Which companies hire research scientists in San Jose?
San Jose research scientist roles are posted by TikTok, ByteDance, and Honda Research Institute USA and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Jose's hiring base skews toward large semiconductor manufacturers, established biotech firms, and enterprise technology companies with dedicated R&D divisions.
Are there remote research scientist jobs in San Jose?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on the role type: hands-on lab, fabrication, and device research positions are almost always on-site, while computational modeling, data analysis, and literature-review roles can run fully remote. About 7% of research scientist openings tied to San Jose are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with the bulk of those coming from software-adjacent and AI research teams. Hybrid arrangements are most common at large tech campuses in North San Jose.
How can I get a research scientist job in San Jose with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Jose is through a postdoctoral appointment or research associate role at one of the city's semiconductor or life sciences companies, many of which run structured early-career pipelines. Intel, the biotech firms clustered near Alviso, and medical device companies in the North First Street corridor regularly hire candidates fresh from graduate programs. Targeting roles with titles like junior research scientist, research associate, or lab scientist and building domain depth in AI hardware, CMOS fabrication, or molecular diagnostics aligns directly with what San Jose employers actually hire for.
Which industries hire the most research scientists in San Jose?
Most research scientist openings in San Jose sit in Technology & Software and Science & Research, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Jose's position as the center of Silicon Valley semiconductor manufacturing and its growing biotech and medical device clusters are the primary drivers of that concentration.
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