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ML Research Engineer Jobs

Experts who push the boundaries of machine learning through cutting-edge research and development. A role that combines deep theoretical knowledge with practical application.

Open roles
26
Salary range
£212k – £633k
Hiring companies
9
View 26 live roles → Get an alert

ML Research Engineers are at the forefront of advancing machine learning technologies. They work on developing new algorithms, improving existing models, and ensuring that these innovations can be effectively deployed in real-world applications. These roles are typically found in research-heavy startups, scaleups, and the larger consultancies, where the focus is on pushing the boundaries of what's possible with machine learning.

What the role does

Inside the role of an ML Research Engineer

A typical week is split between theoretical research, coding, and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

  1. 01
    Conduct literature reviews to stay updated on the latest research.
  2. 02
    Design and implement new machine learning algorithms.
  3. 03
    Collaborate with data scientists and engineers to integrate models into products.
  4. 04
    Optimise and test models to improve performance.
  5. 05
    Document findings and contribute to research papers or internal reports.
  6. 06
    Attend meetings to discuss project progress and next steps.
Salary on the board

£212k – £633k

Based on advertised midpoints across the 8 UK listings priced in pounds in the last 12 months. Base salary only.

Salary visibility
5% of listings advertise a salary — up from 0% the year before.
By seniority
£k base
Mid
260
636
5 jobs
Skills & tools

What hiring managers ask for

% of 26 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.

Python
81%
Machine Learning
50%
PyTorch
42%
Kubernetes
23%
Deep Learning
19%
Data Pipelines
19%
Data Engineering
19%
Reinforcement Learning
19%
AWS
15%
CI/CD
15%
Distributed Systems
15%
Docker
15%
Career ladder

From Junior to Principal

A typical UK progression for ml research engineers. Years are guidance — strong people move faster, and many senior folks sidestep into research, product or management.

  1. Level 1

    Junior ML Research Engineer

    0–2 yrs

    Assist in research projects, implement basic algorithms, and contribute to team discussions.

  2. Level 2

    ML Research Engineer

    2–5 yrs

    Lead specific research initiatives, design and implement complex models, and mentor junior team members.

  3. Level 3

    Senior ML Research Engineer

    5–8 yrs

    Oversee multiple research projects, drive innovation, and contribute to strategic decision-making.

  4. Level 4

    Principal ML Research Engineer

    8+ yrs

    Lead the research direction of the organisation, publish influential papers, and guide the development of new technologies.

Pathway

How to become a ML Research Engineer

There's no single route, but most people follow some version of these steps.

  1. 1

    Academic Foundation

    Gain a strong foundation in mathematics, computer science, and machine learning through a relevant degree.

  2. 2

    Practical Experience

    Participate in internships or research assistant roles to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings.

  3. 3

    Specialisation

    Focus on a specific area of machine learning, such as deep learning or reinforcement learning, through advanced coursework or projects.

  4. 4

    Professional Development

    Join a research team in a startup, scaleup, or consultancy to work on cutting-edge projects and collaborate with industry experts.

  5. 5

    Leadership Roles

    Take on leadership responsibilities, such as managing research projects and mentoring junior engineers.

  6. 6

    Thought Leadership

    Become a recognised expert in the field, publishing influential research and contributing to the broader machine learning community.

Live jobs

26 live roles

See all 26 roles →

Research Engineer - Web Crawlers

This role involves building and operating large-scale, distributed web crawlers to source high-quality data for training frontier AI models. The engineer will solve challenges in content extraction, deduplication, and recrawl strategies, while designing pipelines for multilingual and multimedia content. They will also develop tooling for researchers to access and monitor crawled data efficiently.

ElevenLabs United Kingdom
Remote Permanent

Research Engineer - Data Infrastructure

This role involves building and maintaining large-scale data infrastructure to support cutting-edge AI models, with a focus on data pipelines, curation strategies, and tooling for processing massive datasets. The engineer will develop classifiers and quality filters, design deduplication and augmentation systems, and enable efficient data exploration. The work directly impacts model performance through high-quality, scalable data engineering and infrastructure innovation.

ElevenLabs United Kingdom
Remote Permanent

Research Engineer, Machine Learning (RL Velocity)

As a Research Engineer on the RL Velocity team, you will focus on building and improving the RL training infrastructure, identifying and removing bottlenecks, and partnering with researchers and engineering teams to enhance the efficiency and reliability of Anthropic's AI systems. This role involves high-leverage work that impacts the entire organization's ability to iterate and improve models quickly.

Anthropic London, United Kingdom £370,000 – £630,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Research Engineer, Pretraining

A Research Engineer on the Pretraining team will bridge cutting-edge AI research and large-scale systems engineering, focusing on advancing large language models through work in model architecture, training optimization, and data processing. The role involves deep collaboration across research and engineering, with hands-on contributions to the full stack—from low-level infrastructure to high-level model design. Key projects include optimizing attention mechanisms, scaling distributed training, and improving model interpretability.

Anthropic London, United Kingdom £260,000 – £630,000 pa
On-site Permanent
Synthesia logo

Senior Research Engineer - Interactive Avatars

This role involves developing advanced AI models for interactive avatars, focusing on diffusion-based video generation conditioned on audio, motion, and user interaction. The engineer will work on real-time, long-form video synthesis, improving lip-sync and motion realism, and building evaluation systems to ensure high visual quality. The position bridges cutting-edge research and product deployment within a fast-moving AI video platform.

Synthesia London, United Kingdom
Remote Permanent
Synthesia logo

Principal Research Engineer

Lead the end-to-end technical direction of offline video generation for a leading AI video platform, driving large-scale generative model development from pre-training through post-training. Bridge research and product by solving cross-cutting technical challenges in training stability, data pipelines, and alignment. Coach engineers, shape team processes, and accelerate the deployment of state-of-the-art avatar video models at scale.

Synthesia London, United Kingdom
Remote Permanent
AI Security Institute logo

Alignment Red Team - Research Engineer/Research Scientist

This role involves researching and developing methods to detect misalignment in advanced AI systems, conducting pre- and post-deployment evaluations, and sharing findings with AI companies and governments. You will also contribute to public research and build software tools to improve alignment testing.

AI Security Institute London, United Kingdom
AI Security Institute logo

Misuse Red Team - Research Engineer/Research Scientist

This role involves researching and developing novel attack vectors against large language model safeguards, including automated jailbreaking, data poisoning, and misuse of AI agents. The researcher will design and run experiments, build scalable evaluation tooling, and collaborate with frontier AI labs to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities. Work focuses on advancing the security of frontier AI systems through technical red teaming and publishing impactful findings.

AI Security Institute London, United Kingdom
On-site Permanent Clearance Required
See all 26 roles →
Top hirers

Companies hiring ml research engineers

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Hiring locations

Where this role is hiring

The locations with the most live listings for this role today.

London

Location
21 open

Cambridge

Location
1 open
FAQs

Common questions

  • A strong background in computer science, mathematics, or a related field is essential. Advanced degrees, such as a Master's or PhD, are often required for higher-level positions.

  • Key skills include proficiency in programming languages like Python, a deep understanding of machine learning algorithms, and the ability to conduct rigorous research and experimentation.

  • The typical progression starts with a junior role, advancing to a senior position, and eventually leading to principal or leadership roles within the organisation.

  • Common industries include tech, finance, healthcare, and academia. Research-heavy startups and scaleups are also significant employers.

  • Salaries can vary widely based on experience, location, and industry. For more detailed salary information, please refer to the salary section on this page.

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