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Details
Open Date 08/06/2026
Requisition Number PRN45846B
Job Title Research Scientists (non\-PhD)
Working Title Research Scientists (non\-PhD)
Career Progression Track P00
Track Level P3 \- Career, P2 \- Developing, P1 \- Entry Level Pro
FLSA Code Professional
Patient Sensitive Job Code? No
Standard Hours per Week 40
Full Time or Part Time? Full Time
Shift Day
Work Schedule Summary
VP Area U of U Health \- Academics
Department 01337 \- Molecular Medicine Program
Location Campus
City Salt Lake City, UT
Type of Recruitment External Posting
Pay Rate Range Depends on Experience
Close Date 08/13/2026
Priority Review Date (Note \- Posting may close at any time)
Job Summary
Research Scientists (non\-PhD)
Design and conduct experimental research and investigations to explore and support scientific discovery and/or development. Record, interpret, and analyze study data. Develop research documentation, such as protocols, reports, reviews, publications, manuscripts, and/or summaries. Disseminate research findings to internal and external audiences. Ensure the quality standards and scientific integrity in research activities are maintained. Remain knowledgeable of relevant scientific and technical developments.
Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu
The department may choose to hire at any of the below job levels and associated pay rates based on their business need and budget.
Responsibilities
Research Scientist, I
Design and conduct experimental research and investigations to explore and support scientific discovery and/or development. Record, interpret, and analyze study data. Develop research documentation, such as protocols, reports, reviews, publications, manuscripts, and/or summaries. Disseminate research findings to internal and external audiences. Ensure the quality standards and scientific integrity in research activities are maintained. Remain knowledgeable of relevant scientific and technical developments. Junior\-level scientist, acquiring scientific skills used in R\&D. Works under the guidance of more senior\-level scientists.
Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) \+ 2 years of directly related work experience or a master’s (or equivalency) degree.
This is an Entry\-Level position in the General Professional track.
Job Code: P51841
Grade: P15
Expected Pay Range: $36,196 to $83,036
Research Scientist, II
Design and conduct experimental research and investigations to explore and support scientific discovery and/or development. Record, interpret, and analyze study data. Develop research documentation, such as protocols, reports, reviews, publications, manuscripts, and/or summaries. Disseminate research findings to internal and external audiences. Ensure the quality standards and scientific integrity in research activities are maintained. Remain knowledgeable of relevant scientific and technical developments. Mid\-level scientist with working knowledge of scientific skills and research techniques. Conducts assignments of increasing complexity, under limited supervision.
Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) \+ 4 years or a master’s (or equivalency) \+ 2 years of directly related work experience.
This is a Developing\-Level position in the General Professional track.
Job Code: P51842
Grade: P17
Expected Pay Range: $43,796 to $100,474
Research Scientist, III
Design and conduct experimental research and investigations to explore and support scientific discovery and/or development. Record, interpret, and analyze study data. Develop research documentation, such as protocols, reports, reviews, publications, manuscripts, and/or summaries. Disseminate research findings to internal and external audiences. Ensure the quality standards and scientific integrity in research activities are maintained. Remain knowledgeable of relevant scientific and technical developments. Senior\-level scientist with in\-depth understanding of scientific principles and proficiency in research techniques. Conducts complex assignments important to the organization.
Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) \+ 6 years or a master’s (or equivalency) \+ 4 years of directly related work experience.
This is a Career\-Level position in the General Professional track.
Job Code: P51843
Grade: P18
Expected Pay Range: $48,175 to $110,521
Minimum Qualifications
EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT : 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor’s degree \= 4 years of directly related work experience).
Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:
Research Scientist, I: Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) \+ 2 years of directly related work experience or a master’s (or equivalency) degree.
Research Scientist, II: Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) \+ 4 years or a master’s (or equivalency) \+ 2 years of directly related work experience.
Research Scientist, III : Requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) \+ 6 years or a master’s (or equivalency) \+ 4 years of directly related work experience.
Preferences
Type Benefited Staff
Special Instructions Summary
Additional Information
The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801\) 581\-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post\-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801\) 366\-7770 or (800\) 695\-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801\) 581\-7447 if you have questions regarding the post\-retirement rules.
This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.
The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.
Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.
Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy\-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106\. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.
To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX ( OEO ). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at the: University of Utah Non‑Discrimination page .
Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu
\*\*https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/\*\*This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security\-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.
As per University of Utah policy 5\-108: Transfer of Benefits Eligible Staff Members , a new hire to the University of Utah who is still serving a 12 month probationary period will not be hired into another University of Utah job (a transfer) until the successful completion of the probationary period.
Salary Context
This $36K-$110K range is in the lower quartile for Research Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $195K across 149 roles with salary data).
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 4,317 AI roles we're tracking, Research Scientist positions make up 4% of the market. At University of Utah, 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 in Demand for This Role
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 ($73K) sits 67% below the category median. Disclosed range: $36K to $110K.
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.
University of Utah AI Hiring
University of Utah has 6 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer, MLOps Engineer, Research Scientist, Data Scientist. Based in Salt Lake City, UT, US. Compensation range: $105K - $135K.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 15% (635 positions) offer remote work, while 3,657 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (1,650 roles, $220,000 median); San Francisco (1,335 roles, $265,000 median); Los Angeles (708 roles, $214,112 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
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