Machine Learning Engineer

About The Company
Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build, and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips—the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied Materials enables exciting technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Our commitment is to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next-generation technology. Join us to be part of a team that delivers material innovation that changes the world.
About The Role
We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled AI Research Scientist to join our innovative team at Applied Materials. In this role, you will focus on developing advanced large language models (LLMs) and generative AI solutions tailored for scientific and materials science applications. Your work will directly contribute to accelerating scientific discovery, materials innovation, and hardware design processes. You will collaborate closely with scientists, engineers, and product teams to translate frontier research into practical, high-impact solutions. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, with a passion for applying cutting-edge AI technologies to real-world scientific challenges. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of AI and materials science, shaping the future of intelligent discovery.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will possess a Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field. Candidates should have a proven track record of research and development in machine learning, particularly in natural language processing and generative AI. Hands-on experience with large language model pretraining, supervised fine-tuning, reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), and rigorous model evaluation is essential. Proficiency in Python and frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow is required. Experience working with structured and unstructured scientific data—such as literature, experimental results, and simulation outputs—is highly desirable. Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams are critical for success in this role.
Responsibilities
Develop, pretrain, fine-tune, and align large language models and generative models specifically for scientific and materials science data, literature, and workflows.
Innovate post-training methods, alignment techniques, and evaluation protocols to ensure models are robust, accurate, and trustworthy for scientific applications.
Design and implement generative AI approaches to accelerate materials discovery, hypothesis generation, and hardware design processes.
Collaborate with scientists, engineers, and cross-functional teams to identify impactful applications of generative AI within the materials science domain.
Build and curate scientific datasets, benchmarks, and evaluation protocols to validate and continuously improve model performance.
Stay current with advances in AI, machine learning, and materials science, and publish original research in top scientific venues.
Mentor junior team members and foster a collaborative, inclusive research environment that encourages innovation and knowledge sharing.
Benefits
Applied Materials offers a competitive salary package ranging from $131,000 to $180,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Our work environment is supportive and encourages continuous learning, professional development, and career growth. We provide comprehensive health and wellness programs, work-life balance initiatives, and various employee assistance programs. Employees benefit from a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and innovation, with opportunities for participation in bonus and stock award programs. Located in Santa Clara, California, our office provides a vibrant setting for collaboration and creativity. We also support relocation for qualified candidates and offer flexible work arrangements to accommodate personal needs.
Equal Opportunity
Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where all employees are valued and treated with respect. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We strive to ensure accessibility on our careers site and are happy to assist applicants with accommodations during the application process. If you require assistance, please contact us via email or phone as specified on our careers page.

Work arrangement
Yes