At a Glance
- Tasks: Join our team to develop next-gen autonomous assistants that enhance daily life.
- Company: Google DeepMind is at the forefront of AI, focusing on public benefit and scientific discovery.
- Benefits: Enjoy a collaborative culture, flexible work options, and opportunities for impactful research.
- Why this job: Be part of a mission-driven team tackling real-world challenges with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: PhD or equivalent experience in a technical field; research in autonomous assistants preferred.
- Other info: Diversity and inclusion are core values; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
We are looking for Research Scientists to join the Autonomous Assistants team, and produce research in the development of next-generation technologies to power increasingly autonomous agents which strive to assist, support, and supplement humans in their daily personal and professional lives.
About Us
Artificial Intelligence could be one of humanity's most useful inventions. At Google DeepMind, we're a team of scientists, engineers, machine learning experts and more, working together to advance the state of the art in artificial intelligence. We use our technologies for widespread public benefit and scientific discovery, and collaborate with others on critical challenges, ensuring safety and ethics are the highest priority.
The Role
Within the team, Research Scientists are encouraged to lead/support an application-grounded research agenda aimed at producing practically applicable technological advances in the ability of increasingly autonomous agents to assist and support humans. The expectation is that while novel research can and will be conducted in this setting, there will be a strong focus on pragmatic prioritisation of methods and tools offering practical benefits in the short term, over the following of longer-horizon research agendas. Central to this process is the idea that rapid iteration over and refinement of solutions catering to real-world use-cases provides a strong basis for better understanding the research boundary in a fast paced field.
Key Responsibilities:
- Spearhead the ideation into, and development of, new use-cases and desired capabilities of assistant-like agents of any form, advised by the current state of research.
- Partner with research engineers to develop ambitious prototypes pertaining to desired or anticipated assistant agent use-cases, and design and implement evaluation protocols around these prototypes.
- Identify, motivated by empirical study of existing methods' failures or limitations on use-case-based evaluations, the roadblocks and research challenges, and develop novel technical or methodological solutions to overcome these.
- Identify sources of data, design and implement data collection processes (supported by research engineering partners), and conduct human annotation and evaluation campaigns for the production and evaluation of strong baselines for each use-case.
- Help identify, within Google DeepMind's broad portfolio of research projects, methods which could be adapted or tried against our evaluations, as well as teams and individuals with which the team could partner to overcome challenges whilst providing grounding and evaluation for that collaborator's research agenda.
About You
In order to set you up for success as a Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, we look for the following skills and experience:
- PhD in a technical field or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience in a research domain connected to the production of increasingly autonomous assistants, (e.g. LLM-powered agents, RL/IL, applications in NLP, evaluation design).
- A desire to focus on forming tight application-driven modelling, data collection, and evaluation flywheels to ground and empower research.
In addition, the following would be an advantage:
- Strong end-to-end system building and prototyping skills.
- Experience with one or more of: fine-tuning LLMs, running human data collection/annotation campaigns, self-play, multi-agent systems.
- Experience with open-ended learning, RL, and frontier methods for training LLMs (RLHF, RLAIF, preference optimization, constitutional AI, etc).
- A curiosity about, or experience with research topics surrounding personalization, memory, reasoning, self-improvement, and safety.
At Google DeepMind, we value diversity of experience, knowledge, backgrounds and perspectives and harness these qualities to create extraordinary impact. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis as protected by applicable law. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Closing date: April 1st, 2025 at 5:00pm BST.
Research Scientist, Autonomous Assistants employer: Google DeepMind
Contact Detail:
Google DeepMind Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Research Scientist, Autonomous Assistants
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the latest advancements in autonomous assistants and AI technologies. This will not only help you understand the current landscape but also allow you to engage in meaningful conversations during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the field of AI and autonomous systems. Attend relevant conferences, webinars, or meetups to connect with like-minded individuals and potentially gain insights into the hiring process at Google DeepMind.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your previous research experiences in detail, especially those related to autonomous agents. Be ready to explain how your work can contribute to the practical applications that Google DeepMind is focusing on.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your problem-solving skills by thinking through potential challenges in developing autonomous assistants. Be prepared to share your ideas on overcoming these obstacles during interviews, demonstrating your proactive approach.
We think you need these skills to ace Research Scientist, Autonomous Assistants
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in research related to autonomous assistants. Emphasise your PhD and any practical experience that aligns with the job description, particularly in areas like LLM-powered agents or evaluation design.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your passion for artificial intelligence and your understanding of its applications. Discuss specific projects or experiences that demonstrate your ability to lead application-driven research and your interest in developing next-generation technologies.
Highlight Relevant Skills: In your application, clearly outline your technical skills, especially those mentioned in the job description such as system building, data collection, and evaluation methods. Provide examples of how you've applied these skills in previous roles or projects.
Showcase Collaboration Experience: Since the role involves partnering with research engineers and other teams, include examples of successful collaborations in your application. Highlight how you’ve worked with others to overcome challenges and achieve common goals in research settings.
How to prepare for a job interview at Google DeepMind
✨Showcase Your Research Experience
Be prepared to discuss your previous research projects in detail, especially those related to autonomous assistants or similar technologies. Highlight any specific methodologies you used and the outcomes of your work.
✨Demonstrate Technical Proficiency
Familiarise yourself with the latest advancements in AI, particularly in areas like LLMs, reinforcement learning, and evaluation design. Be ready to discuss how these can be applied to real-world use cases.
✨Prepare for Problem-Solving Questions
Expect questions that assess your ability to identify and overcome research challenges. Think of examples where you've successfully navigated obstacles in your past work and be ready to share your thought process.
✨Emphasise Collaboration Skills
Since the role involves partnering with research engineers and other teams, highlight your experience working in collaborative environments. Share examples of how you've effectively communicated and worked with others to achieve common goals.