AI Researcher (Multimodal Audio/Video Generation)
Tavus
San Francisco, CA · Posted May 15, 2026
Just laid off? Start here: a plan for the first weeks
More in California job market · Technology & Software · Data & Analytics jobs
More roles at Tavus
- Head of Marketing · San Francisco, CA
- Enterprise Account Executive · San Francisco, CA
- Senior Software Engineer (CVI) · San Francisco, CA
- Forward Deployed Engineer · San Francisco, CA
- Business Development Representative · San Francisco, CA
- Product Manager · San Francisco, CA
Similar jobs
- Senior Business Intelligence Analyst - Corporate Finance · Nvidia · Santa Clara, CA
- AI Enablement Manager · Docusign · San Francisco, CA
- Principal AI Product Manager · Astera Labs · San Jose, CA
- AI Research Scientist · Cogent Security · San Francisco, CA
- Forward Deployed AI Engineer, West · Arize AI · San Francisco, CA
- AI Research Scientist · Sprinter Health · San Francisco, CA
Where San Francisco, CA ranks
Where San Francisco, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best cities for security jobs316 openings · of 20
- #1Best cities for technology jobs7,178 openings · of 100
- #1Best cities for financial services pay after cost of living$173k · of 33
- #1Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills35% · of 100
- #1Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the West Coast35% · of 54
- #1Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast902 jobs · of 47
Rankings about data & analytics jobs
- Best cities for data and analytics jobs #1 New York (1,713 openings)
- Best cities for data and analytics pay after cost of living #1 Foster ($232k)
- Most requested AI skills in data and analytics jobs #1 Machine learning engineering (17.1%)
- AI tools named most often in data and analytics jobs #1 Databricks (7.6%)
- Employers with the most data and analytics jobs #1 Amazon (711 roles)
Data & Analytics jobs · Top Data & Analytics employers · All rankings
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among data scientists, AI is already used for a large share of the tasks. Measured exposure for data scientists: 46% (high).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
ABOUT US
Tavus https://www.tavus.io/ is a research lab pioneering human computing. We’re building AI Humans: a new interface that closes the gap between people and machines, free from the friction of today’s systems. Our real-time human simulation models let machines see, hear, respond, and even look real—enabling meaningful, face-to-face conversations. AI Humans combine the emotional intelligence of humans with the reach and reliability of machines, making them capable, trusted agents available 24/7, in every language, on our terms.
Imagine a therapist anyone can afford. A personal trainer that adapts to your schedule. A fleet of medical assistants that can give every patient the attention they need. With Tavus, individuals, enterprises, and developers can all build AI Humans to connect, understand, and act with empathy at scale.
We’re a Series A company backed by world-class investors including Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, and Scale Venture Partners.
Be part of shaping a future where humans and machines truly understand each other.
THE ROLE
We’re hiring a Senior AI Researcher to lead research in audio-visual avatar generation. This role is for someone who thrives in ambiguity, has a track record of pushing generative models to new frontiers, and wants to define what human–AI interaction looks like in practice.
YOUR MISSION 🚀
- Lead research efforts on audio-visual generation for avatars (Neural Avatars, Talking-Heads), with a focus on conversational settings.
- Design models that are coupled with conversation flow — capturing and generating verbal + non-verbal signals in sync.
- Drive innovation in diffusion models, long-video generation, and audio-visual modeling.
- Translate research into production by partnering with Applied ML and engineering.
- Mentor researchers, set research directions, and publish impactful work.
YOU’LL BRING:
- A PhD or equivalent research experience, plus 2–3+ years of hands-on experience applying generative models at scale.
- Expertise in diffusion models and awareness of the latest efficiency techniques.
- Experience in multimodal generation — spanning video, audio, and language.
- Proven innovation in long-video generation and/or audio generation.
- Excellent programming skills — fluent in PyTorch and GPU-optimized workflows.
- Track record of publications in top-tier venues (CVPR, NeurIPS, BMVC, ICASSP, etc.).
- Experience leading research activities or mentoring teams.
NICE-TO-HAVES:
- Skills in 3D graphics, Gaussian splatting, or large-scale training setups.
- Broad exposure to generative AI models beyond your specialty.
- Familiarity with software development best practices.
LOCATION:
Preferred: San Francisco (hybrid) or London.
Remote within U.S. or Europe considered for exceptional candidates.