Titlesby GlyphResearch Scientist job title trend since Apr 2011
Research · Established · in 1.5% of HN hiring posts · 122 open roles at 42 companies · median $232k
Designs and runs experiments to push what models can do; usually a PhD role.
first seen Mar 2012, Hacker Newstook off May 2016
Why it exists
Written by rule from our own data
First seen in our data in March 2012, in a Hacker News Who is hiring post. It took off in May 2016, when its share of Who is hiring posts first reached a quarter of its best year. Today 122 open roles use the title at 42 companies, most of them in AI labs. Closest tracked titles: Research Engineer, Applied Scientist, AI Safety Researcher.
- PostingAsk HN: Who is hiring? (March 2012)Hacker News, Mar 2012 · backs: first sighting
- PostingResearch Scientist, Discovery (Engineering & Applied Sciences)Anthropic, Nov 2026 · backs: an open posting with the title
Where it is posted
Sectors
- AI lab16
- Robotics and autonomy14
- AI data13
- Data platform6
- Consumer6
- AI application5
- AI infrastructure4
- Developer tools4
Cities
- San Francisco50
- New York21
- Palo Alto19
- Seattle15
- London, United Kingdom7
- Oakland6
- Pittsburgh3
- Toronto, Canada2
- Singapore1
- Denver1
Countries and remote
- United States104
- United Kingdom7
- Canada3
- Singapore1
- France1
- Netherlands1
- Switzerland1
- Germany1
Remote option30%
Posted pay
Middle half $193k to $310k, median $232k from 75 postings that state a base range (USD a year).
Pay by level and city on SalariesWho is hiring for it
Open postings on their own job boards, read 5h ago| # | Company | Open roles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | ||
| 2 | Astera InstituteA company hiring most for Research Scientist and AI Scientist. | 12 | |
| 3 | Anduril IndustriesA company hiring most for Systems Engineer and Test Engineer. | 9 | |
| 4 | Distyl AIA company hiring most for Research Scientist and AI Engineer. | 7 | |
| 5 | 7 | ||
| 6 | 5 | ||
| 7 | 5 | ||
| 8 | 4 | ||
| 9 | 4 | ||
| 10 | EliseAIA company hiring most for Solutions Engineer and Research Scientist. | 4 | |
| 11 | 4 | ||
| 12 | 3 |
Open roles
8 of 122; company pages list the restResearch Scientist, Battlespace Awareness
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Staff Research Scientist - Foundation & World Models
New York, New York, USA; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Research Scientist - Human-AI Systems
New York City, NY (Hybrid); San Francisco, CA (Hybrid); United States (Remote)
| Role | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Scientist, Discovery (Engineering & Applied Sciences) | San Francisco, CA | $500k to $850k | |
| AI research scientist | San Francisco, CA | $199k to $325k | |
| Research Scientist, Battlespace AwarenessAnduril IndustriesWaltham, Massachusetts, United States$167k to $222k | Anduril Industries | Waltham, Massachusetts, United States | $167k to $222k |
| Staff Research Scientist - Foundation & World Models | New York, New York, USA; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA | $320k to $400k | |
| Database Research Scientist | United States | $175k to $235k | |
| Research Scientist - Human-AI Systems | New York City, NY (Hybrid); San Francisco, CA (Hybrid); United States (Remote) | $200k to $375k | |
| Research Scientist, STEM | United States | $150k to $300k | |
| Research Scientist - Personalization | New York, NY | $133k to $190k |
Lineage
research focused on safety and alignment · from how the titles are used
Share of Hacker News hiring posts
649 posts since Apr 2011 · +20% in 6 monthsNovember 2026 4 of 207 postings, 1.9%
Related titles
Research EngineerWrites the code that makes research run: training runs, experiments, infrastructure.1.6% of HN posts, 12 mo · 161 open · $340k median · since Apr 2011Applied ScientistResearch methods pointed at a product problem; Amazon made the title mainstream.0.39% of HN posts, 12 mo · 26 open · $243k median · since Feb 2016AI Safety ResearcherStudies how to make models behave as intended: alignment, interpretability, red teaming.0% of HN posts, 12 mo · 2 open · $153k median · since Mar 2024Member of Technical StaffA deliberately flat title from Bell Labs, revived by AI labs for engineers and researchers alike.1.1% of HN posts, 12 mo · 206 open · $250k median · since Aug 2015AI TutorWrites and grades data that teaches a model a language or a subject; a model-training role, not teaching people.10 open · seen Jul 2020AI ScientistBuilds and trains new AI models for one field, such as biology or enterprise data, from research methods to the models a product relies on.3 open · $275k median · seen Sep 2026
About this title
Designs and runs experiments to push what models can do; usually a PhD role.
Also counted: AI researcher, ML researcher
First sighting
...each week. Small and tight-knit team (7 engineers, 2 research scientists), plenty of free food and beer, impressive customer list, $5mm+ in...
Median posted salary $232k from 75 postings that state a base pay range (the median of their midpoints, USD a year). Not a survey of what people earn.