About this role
Distyl AI seeks an Applied AI Researcher on its System Discovery team to identify new classes of AI systems that could reshape enterprise work. The team explores architectures, modalities and system compositions, focusing on building intelligent systems with models rather than training or fine-tuning models.
Responsibilities
- Draw connections across domains to identify new system archetypes and experiment with unconventional problem definitions.
- Build prototypes that demonstrate new forms of human–AI collaboration. Design and run experiments to establish their effectiveness for enterprise customers.
Qualifications and approach:
- Experience building across multiple system paradigms, such as retrieval pipelines, reasoning agents, evaluation harnesses, multimodal integrations or workflow graph systems, and the ability to identify what makes them effective.
- Expertise in compound AI systems and agentic collaboration, including techniques such as ensembling, ReAct and graph-of-thoughts.
- A demonstrated research track record, strong programming and data analysis skills, and the ability to turn ideas into working prototypes and evidence of their value. Candidates should use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Cursor and Perplexity in their own workflows and favor practical demonstrations over long-term proposals. No specific degree or number of years of experience is stated.
Location and compensation: This full-time role is based in San Francisco or New York under a hybrid model requiring 3+ in-office days per week, including Tuesday–Thursday. The base salary range is $150K–$250K, depending on experience, location and level. The role is also eligible for equity and benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible time off, retirement and financial planning resources, wellness benefits, and in-office lunches and snacks.