Research Scientist
Sesame
San Francisco, CA · $190k–$320k a year · Posted July 14, 2026
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Where San Francisco, CA ranks
Where San Francisco, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best cities for security jobs316 openings · of 20
- #1Best cities for technology jobs7,178 openings · of 100
- #1Best cities for financial services pay after cost of living$173k · of 33
- #1Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills35% · of 100
- #1Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the West Coast35% · of 54
- #1Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast902 jobs · of 47
Pay compared with the market
This listing pays about $255,000 a year. Across 49 open research scientist listings that state pay, the middle half runs $195,000 to $287,500 and the median is $231,500. That is inside the middle half of those listings, 10% above the median.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
How AI is used in this kind of work
AI use among medical scientists, except epidemiologists is little observed so far. Measured exposure for medical scientists, except epidemiologists: 4% (little observed).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
About Sesame
Sesame believes in a future where computers are lifelike - with the ability to see, hear, and collaborate with us in ways that feel natural and human. With this vision, we're designing a new kind of computer, focused on making voice agents part of our daily lives. Our team brings together founders from Oculus and Ubiquity6, alongside proven leaders from Meta, Google, and Apple, with deep expertise spanning hardware and software. Join us in shaping a future where computers truly come alive.
ABOUT THE ROLE
New and novel approaches are needed to realize all of our product goals. As a Machine Learning Scientist at Sesame, you are a research-oriented person with experience in NLP, Speech, and/or Computer Vision with a focus on deep learning. You are up to date on recent papers and approaches and you have the creativity and the intuition to come up with new solutions based on the application at hand.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Contribute to the development of our ML models across multiple modalities.
- Work across the ML stack, including model architectures, data curation, model evaluation, training & inference infrastructure, research, and experimentation.
- Pick promising approaches from the literature to bet on, and create new approaches where necessary to achieve our unique goals.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience working independently in high-ambiguity environments.
- Published papers in NLP, Speech, or Computer Vision involving large-scale deep learning.
- Familiar with the state of the art in AI.
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in CS or related field.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Masters/PhD desired.
- Experience working with products.
- Experience in a startup environment.
Sesame is committed to a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered. We welcome all qualified applicants, embracing diversity in race, gender, identity, orientation, ability, and more. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Contact careers@sesame.com for assistance.
Full-time Employee Benefits:
- 401 (k) max employer match: 3.5% of compensation
- 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental benefits for you and your dependents
- Unlimited PTO and sick time
- Flexible spending account with employer matching up to $1,650/year (medical FSA)
- Guardian Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Opportunity to share in the company's success with competitive stock options
Benefits do not apply to contingent/contract workers.