AI Researcher (Rendering)

About Us

At Tavus, we're building the human layer of AI. Our mission is to make human-AI interaction as natural as face-to-face interaction, enabling the human touch where it has been previously unscalable. We achieve this through pioneering research in multi-modal AI models for human perception and understanding, combined with state-of-the-art human avatar rendering and communication models. Our models power everything from text-to-video AI avatars to real-time conversational video experiences across industries like healthcare, recruiting, sales, education, and more. By enabling AI to see, hear, and communicate with human-like authenticity, we're creating the foundation for the next generation of AI employees, assistants, and companions.

We're a Series A company backed by top investors, including Sequoia, Y Combinator, and Scale VC. Join us in driving the future of human-AI interaction. Check it out for yourself 😎

The Role

We’re looking for a Senior Researcher to join our core AI team. Our ideal partner-in-crime works well in startup environments, is comfortable prioritizing for themselves, and is always down to take calculated risks. We’re moving fast and not looking for people to come along for the ride - we’re looking for people to pave the path.

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Your Mission 🚀**

• Lead research efforts on generative video models (ex: Neural Avatar, Talking-Head, Lip-sync, and other low level computer vision topics)
• Work with the Applied ML team to help productionize our research
• Stay relevant with the latest advancements (and help us create the latest advancements!)

Requirements

• Be (at a minimum) a recent or soon-to-be PhD graduate, or someone with 2–3 years of hands-on experience applying diffusion models in practice.
• Have strong foundations in generative modeling, ideally with a focus on image or video synthesis, and a demonstrated ability to innovate rapidly through prototyping.
• Have deep experience with diffusion models (DDPMs, LDMs, etc.) for either image or video domains.
• Be fluent in PyTorch, and comfortable working with GPU-based inference.
• Show evidence of original research, with publications in top-tier or solid second-tier venues (e.g., CVPR, NeurIPS, BMVC).
• Be excited about building lifelike, expressive avatars for real-time applications.

Additionally, having some of the following experiences may help you be successful in this position:

• Skills in 3D graphics, Gaussian splatting, or large-scale training setups
• Other, additional experience with generative models and rendering
• PhD or equivalent experience preferred
• Experience leading research teams
• Knowledge of best practices in Software Development

_Please note that this position is preferably hybrid in San Francisco and we offer relocation. However we are open to remote candidates as well. _

Benefits

When you join Tavus, you’re joining a family. Our work is driven by our team, and our success is shared by all. This position has a flexible work schedule, unlimited PTO, extremely competitive healthcare and gear stipends, as well as, of course, plenty of fun! At the end of the day, we want Tavus to be a place for you to learn, directly drive impact, and be with a team you love.

To learn more about our team culture, and benefits, check out our hiring page!

Tavus is growing fast, and we’d like you to grow with us!  Are you excited to get your hands dirty? Drop your resume and we’ll be in touch!

We are not looking for cultural fits, we are looking for culture creators. In fact, diversity is what drives our success – it’s at the core of how we hire, communicate, and work. We are inclusive to all and combine our diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and thinking to build the best experiences for our clients.