Applied Scientist, AI

$195K - $205K Seattle, WA, US Mid Level Research Scientist

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Skills & Technologies

KerasPythonPytorchTensorflow

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

OUR COMPANY:

At red violet, we build proprietary technologies and apply analytical capabilities to deliver identity intelligence. Our technology powers critical solutions, which empower organizations to operate with confidence. Our solutions enable the real\-time identification and location of people, businesses, assets, and their interrelationships. These solutions are used for purposes including identity verification, risk mitigation, due diligence, fraud detection and prevention, regulatory compliance, and customer acquisition. Our cloud\-native, AI\-embedded identity intelligence platform, CORE™, is purpose\-built for the enterprise, yet flexible enough for organizations of all sizes, bringing clarity to massive datasets by transforming data into intelligence. Our solutions are used today to enable frictionless commerce, enhance safety, and mitigate fraud and the related financial losses borne by society.

JOB DUTIES:

  • Participate in the research, development, and refinement of AI and deep learning models and algorithms to address complex challenges in fraud detection, risk management, and identity verification.
  • Collaborate with cross\-functional teams including data scientists and search/information retrieval engineers to define project goals, requirements, and deliverables.
  • Apply advanced machine learning techniques to analyze large and complex datasets, extract meaningful insights, and develop predictive models to improve risk assessment, background screening, and identity verification processes.
  • Design and implement state\-of\-the\-art algorithms and methodologies for entity resolution, graph database analytics, and search/information retrieval.
  • Stay up to date with the latest advancements in AI, deep learning, and machine learning, and proactively apply cutting\-edge techniques to improve our models, algorithms, and overall system performance.
  • Collaborate with product management and business stakeholders to understand customer requirements and translate them into scalable and reliable AI solutions.
  • Present research findings, project updates, and technical advancements to internal teams and executives.
  • Focus on unsupervised and semi\-supervised deep learning models in addition to supervised learning models.
  • Employee must reside within normal commuting distance of the Seattle, WA office and work in the office at least 50 percent of the time.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field with a focus on one or more of the following: generative AI, deep learning, reinforcement learning or graph neural networks.
  • 36 months of experience in an Applied Data Scientist, Machine Learning Scientist, or closely related role with a focus on large language models.
  • 2 years of experience working with applied research in machine learning and/or AI, with a strong focus on deep learning, unsupervised and semi\-supervised learning, and generative AI.
  • 2 years of experience working with programming languages such as Python or C\+\+.
  • 2 years of experience working with the AI frameworks TensorFlow, Keras, or PyTorch.
  • 2 years of experience working with designing and implementing deep architectures for production ML systems.
  • 2 years of experience working with scalable AI/ML solutions delivered at the scale of national/global cohorts.
  • Experience may have been gained concurrently.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Full\-time role. $195,000 to $205,000/year

BENEFITS: Opportunity for stock (RSU) grants, 401K with company match, flexible PTO policy, medical, dental and vision coverage, commuter benefits, in\-office healthy snacks, and team events.

Red Violet is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

TO APPLY: please email resume to [email protected] with a reference to Applied Scientist, AI position.

Salary Context

This $195K-$205K range is above the median for Research Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $195K across 149 roles with salary data).

Role Details

Title Applied Scientist, AI
Location Seattle, WA, US
Category Research Scientist
Experience Mid Level
Salary $195K - $205K
Remote No

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 4,317 AI roles we're tracking, Research Scientist positions make up 4% of the market. At Red Violet, Inc., 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

Keras (1% of roles) Python (52% of roles) Pytorch (15% of roles) Tensorflow (12% of roles)

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 $222,200 based on 378 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $194,400. This role's midpoint ($200K) sits 10% below the category median. Disclosed range: $195K to $205K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($287,500) and Research Engineer ($272,100). By seniority level: Entry: $110,000; Mid: $194,400; Senior: $227,400; Director: $274,554; VP: $241,000.

Red Violet, Inc. AI Hiring

Red Violet, Inc. has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across Research Scientist. Based in Seattle, WA, US. Compensation range: $205K - $205K.

Location Context

AI roles in Seattle pay a median of $228,700 across 516 tracked positions. That's 6% above the national 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 4,317 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 138 entry-level, 2,071 mid-level, 1,655 senior, and 453 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (635 positions). The remaining 3,657 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($287,500 median, 34 roles); Research Engineer ($272,100 median, 227 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($244,000 median, 23 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 4,317 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (3,004), Data Scientist (345), AI Software Engineer (309). 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 (138) are outnumbered by mid-level (2,071) and senior (1,655) 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 453 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (635 positions), with 3,657 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 $215,000. Top-quartile roles start at $266,300, and the 90th percentile reaches $320,790. 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 $287,500 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $145,000. 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 (2,249 postings), Aws (1,224 postings), Azure (938 postings), Rag (915 postings), Gcp (660 postings), Pytorch (640 postings), Prompt Engineering (624 postings), Kubernetes (559 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

Based on 378 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for Research Scientist positions is $222,200. Actual compensation varies by seniority, location, and company stage.
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.
About 15% of the 4,317 AI roles we track offer remote work. Remote availability varies by company and seniority level, with senior and leadership roles more likely to offer location flexibility.
Red Violet, Inc. is among the companies actively hiring for AI and ML talent. Check our company profiles for detailed breakdowns of open roles, salary ranges, and hiring trends.
Common next steps from Research Scientist positions include Research Lead, Distinguished Scientist, VP of Research. Progression depends on whether you lean toward technical depth, people management, or product strategy.

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