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About This Role
Discover Your Career at Emory University:
Emory University is a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world\-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. We welcome candidates who can contribute to the excellence of our academic community.
Description:
The Luessen Lab, within the Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders at the Emory National Primate Research Center at Emory University, is seeking a full\-time Assistant Academic Research Scientist to join our growing team. Our research focuses on how early\-life experiences—particularly drug exposure during sensitive developmental periods—shape prefrontal cortical circuits and long\-term cognitive function.
This position offers the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to both the day\-to\-day execution and broader direction of ongoing projects. The Assistant Research Scientist will independently lead behavioral testing in mice, including touchscreen\- and operant\-based cognitive assays assessing working memory, cognitive flexibility, and decision\-making. The individual will also coordinate animal cohorts across longitudinal studies and contribute to in vivo experimental workflows including intracranial surgeries, viral manipulations, histological processing, and molecular analyses.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, intellectually engaged, and excited to take ownership over projects in a collaborative research environment. We are looking for someone who approaches science with curiosity and rigor, enjoys troubleshooting and critical thinking, and is motivated to contribute to the overall momentum and culture of the lab.
Collaborate. Innovate. Serve. These three simple words capture what we do at EPC to help advance science and improve the health and well\-being of humans and non\-human primates. If you are someone with laboratory research experience who is excited by behavioral neuroscience, cognitive testing, and circuit\-based approaches to understanding brain function, this is an opportunity to contribute to impactful translational research while developing advanced experimental skills in a highly collaborative environment.
Dedicated to discovering causes, preventions, treatments, and cures of disease, the Emory National Primate Research Center (EPC) is improving human and animal health and lives worldwide. One of seven NPRCs funded by the NIH, EPC conducts studies that make breakthrough discoveries possible. Learn more at http://enprc.emory.edu
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Responsible for working with experimental platforms specific to the hiring Program. Duties will include but are not limited to experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation and communication of results of basic and/or translational research.
- Will be required to review literature and apply advanced knowledge, skills, and input necessary for protocol development.
- May assist in grant and other funding applications, as necessary and appropriate.
- With the approval of the responsible Emory faculty director, the Assistant Academic Research Scientist may serve as the principal investigator on funded (grant) proposals.
- Performs other responsibilities as required.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- PhD OR master's degree and two years of professional level experience in a technical or research lab OR bachelor's degree and four years of professional level experience in a technical or research lab.
- Laboratory experience should be related to area of assignment.
- Internship experience or experience prior to attaining the qualifying degree is not considered eligible work experience for this job classification.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:* Prior experience with rodent behavioral neuroscience, especially cognitive or operant\-based assays.
- Experience handling and managing rodent colonies and longitudinal experimental cohorts.
- Familiarity with stereotaxic surgery, viral approaches, histology, or systems/circuit neuroscience techniques.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Experience with data analysis and visualization software (e.g., Excel, SPSS, Prism, MATLAB, Python, or similar).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
- Interest in neuropsychiatric disease mechanisms, cognition, and developmental neuroscience.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:* Hands\-on work with live animals and biological tissues.
- Standard laboratory environment requiring adherence to institutional safety procedures.
- Position involves standing, bending, lifting, and extended periods of active experimental work.
- Schedule and occasional weekend responsibilities will be discussed during the interview process.
Pre\-Employment Statement:
The Emory National Primate Research Center (EPC), in conjunction with Emory University, conducts pre\-employment screenings for all positions. These screenings may include an Information Network Associates (INA) and criminal background check, and verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications. In addition, the process may include a drug screening with health assessment, and review and mandate for various vaccinations. Updated COVID\-19 vaccinations may be necessary for specific research projects.
NOTE: Position tasks are required to be performed in\-person at an Emory University location; working remote is not an option. Emory reserves the right to change this status with notice to employee.
Additional Details:
Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322\. Telephone: 404\-727\-9867 (V) \| 404\-712\-2049 (TDD).
Emory University is committed to ensuring equal access and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to seek a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department of Accessibility Services at [email protected] or call 404\-727\-9877 (Voice) \| 404\-712\-2049 (TDD). We kindly ask that requests be made at least seven business days in advance to allow adequate time for coordination.
Role Details
About This Role
Research Scientists push the boundaries of what AI can do. They design experiments, develop novel architectures, publish papers, and translate research breakthroughs into production capabilities. This is where the fundamental advances happen, from attention mechanisms to diffusion models to reasoning chains.
The work is intellectually demanding and often ambiguous. You might spend months on an approach that doesn't pan out. The best research scientists combine deep mathematical intuition with engineering pragmatism. They know when to go deep on theory and when to run experiments. They read papers voraciously and can spot incremental contributions from genuine breakthroughs.
Across the 4,133 AI roles we're tracking, Research Scientist positions make up 3% of the market. At Emory University, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
Research Scientist roles are concentrated at major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR) and well-funded AI startups. The competition is intense. PhD is effectively required for most positions, and publication track record matters. Compensation is among the highest in AI, reflecting both the scarcity of talent and the strategic importance of research breakthroughs.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week includes: reading and discussing recent papers with your team, designing and running experiments on multi-GPU clusters, analyzing results and iterating on hypotheses, writing up findings for internal review or publication, and collaborating with engineering teams to productionize promising results. The ratio of thinking to coding is higher than in engineering roles.
Research Scientist roles are concentrated at major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR) and well-funded AI startups. The competition is intense. PhD is effectively required for most positions, and publication track record matters. Compensation is among the highest in AI, reflecting both the scarcity of talent and the strategic importance of research breakthroughs.
Skills Required
PhD strongly preferred for most roles. Deep expertise in a specific area (NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning, multimodal) is expected. PyTorch is the standard. Publication track record matters. Strong mathematical foundations in linear algebra, probability, optimization, and information theory are assumed.
Beyond the fundamentals, companies value experience with large-scale distributed training, novel architecture design, and the ability to bridge theory and practice. Understanding of current frontier topics (reasoning, multimodal, long-context, alignment) is essential. Code quality matters more than many researchers expect. Labs want researchers who can implement their ideas cleanly.
Strong research postings specify the research area, mention the team you'd join, and describe the problems they're working on. They often list recent publications from the team. Vague 'AI research' postings without specifics usually mean the company wants to sound impressive but doesn't have a real research agenda.
Compensation Benchmarks
Research Scientist roles pay a median of $223,400 based on 307 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $165,778.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $200,700. Top-quartile compensation starts at $254,000. The 90th percentile reaches $307,500. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($274,200) and AI Engineering Manager ($268,700). By seniority level: Entry: $97,760; Mid: $165,778; Senior: $227,400; Director: $250,000; VP: $250,000.
Emory University AI Hiring
Emory University has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across Research Scientist. Based in Atlanta, GA, US.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 14% (583 positions) offer remote work, while 3,532 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (2,760 roles, $211,000 median); San Francisco (2,258 roles, $253,000 median); Los Angeles (1,841 roles, $195,000 median).
Career Path
Common paths into Research Scientist roles include PhD Student, Research Engineer, Postdoc.
From here, career progression typically leads toward Research Lead, Distinguished Scientist, VP of Research.
The PhD is the entry point for most paths. Choose your advisor and research area carefully since they'll define your first industry position. Publish consistently, contribute to open-source projects in your area, and build relationships at conferences. Industry research offers better compensation and compute resources than academia, but the pressure to show product impact is real.
What to Expect in Interviews
Research interviews are multi-stage: a research talk (present your best paper), technical deep-dives on your methodology, and often a 'research proposal' exercise where you design an experiment to test a hypothesis. Coding rounds test implementation ability alongside theoretical knowledge. Be prepared to implement a paper from scratch and discuss the design choices the authors made. Strong candidates can critique papers constructively and identify gaps in experimental methodology.
When evaluating opportunities: Strong research postings specify the research area, mention the team you'd join, and describe the problems they're working on. They often list recent publications from the team. Vague 'AI research' postings without specifics usually mean the company wants to sound impressive but doesn't have a real research agenda.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 4,133 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 106 entry-level, 1,901 mid-level, 1,663 senior, and 463 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 14% of the market (583 positions). The remaining 3,532 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $200,700. Top-quartile compensation starts at $254,000. The 90th percentile reaches $307,500. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($274,200 median, 57 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($268,700 median, 42 roles); Research Engineer ($260,000 median, 442 roles).
Research Scientist roles are concentrated at major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR) and well-funded AI startups. The competition is intense. PhD is effectively required for most positions, and publication track record matters. Compensation is among the highest in AI, reflecting both the scarcity of talent and the strategic importance of research breakthroughs.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 4,133 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,865), Data Scientist (339), AI Software Engineer (313). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (106) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,901) and senior (1,663) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 463 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 14% of all AI roles (583 positions), with 3,532 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $200,700. Top-quartile roles start at $254,000, and the 90th percentile reaches $307,500. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $274,200 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (2,128 postings), Aws (1,324 postings), Azure (1,003 postings), Rag (916 postings), Gcp (817 postings), Pytorch (655 postings), Prompt Engineering (639 postings), Claude (571 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
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