Applied Research Scientist, Instagram Core ML (PhD) at Instagram in Menlo Park, California

Job Description:

Meta is seeking a Research Scientist to join our Instagram Core ML team. This team is an applied research organization focused on improving the quality of IG recommendation models through AI. Advances in AI are key to our mission, spanning some of the most pressing research challenges of our generation across such areas as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and optimization, with a particular focus on recommendation systems, reinforcement learning, generative models, and natural language processing. The ideal candidate will have a solid research background in core ML in at least one of theory, algorithm, and systems, with a keen interest in solving the product problem via customized principled solutions. Research backgrounds in recommendation systems or related research areas such as information retrieval can be a bonus.

Applied Research Scientist, Instagram Core ML (PhD) Responsibilities:

• Develop and evaluate scalable specific deep learning models for recommendation systems.


• Develop and evaluate sequence modeling algorithms and systems.


• Solve the product bottleneck problems via customized ML solution.


• Collaborate with scientists on novel research in generative modeling, complex systems, and reinforcement learning.


• Apply knowledge of relevant research domains and coding skills to platform and framework development projects.


• Adapt machine learning and neural network algorithms to best exploit modern parallel environments (e.g. distributed clusters, GPUs, TPUs, etc.).

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience. Degree must be completed prior to joining Meta.


• Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining a PhD in the field of Computer Science, Artificial intelligence or equivalent practical experience. Degree must be completed prior to joining Meta.


• Experience developing machine learning algorithms or machine learning infrastructure in Python and PyTorch and Slurm.


• Experience in deep learning: supervised, semi-supervised, self-supervised learning and/or generative modeling.


• Research experience in generative AI (language, image, videos).


• Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire, and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, as well as publications at leading workshops, journals or conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, KDD/ICDM, RecSys, CVPR/ICCV, etc.


• Demonstrated research and software engineering experience via an internship, work experience, coding competitions, or widely used contributions in open source repositories (e.g. GitHub).


• Research background in Recommendation systems or information retrieval


• Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment.


• Experience solving complex problems and comparing alternative solutions, tradeoffs, and diverse points of view to determine a path forward.

About Meta:

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today-beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.



Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@fb.com.


$56.25/hour to $173,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits


Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta. Apply Now