Multimodal LLM Researcher (MLLM)

MULTIMODAL LLM RESEARCHER (MLLM) ABOUT THE ROLE At Pika, we are pioneering next-generation creative infrastructure built around real-time, multimodal generation and intelligent, agentic platforms. We are seeking accomplished Multimodal LLM Researchers (LLM, VLM, and Audio LM) to drive forward our mission to make agentic real-time generative technology accessible, dynamic, and transformative for millions of creators. As a core member of our research team, you will be integral to designing and building foundational technologies, developing novel approaches for large multimodal language models (LLMs/VLMs/Audio LMs), and orchestrating intelligent agentic systems that power scalable, interactive multimedia experiences. You will collaborate closely with engineering and product teams, shaping the future of real-time creative platforms. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Lead and contribute to research efforts focused on real-time, multimodal generation—including text, image, video, and audio synthesis—as well as orchestration of agentic platform infrastructure - Design and prototype novel algorithms and architectures for high-fidelity, real-time multimodal synthesis and interactive experiences - Focus on real-time aspects of model inference and synthesis across modalities - Work on diffusion model distillation and/or develop diffusion-based world models for multimodal applications - Train and finetune autoregressive and diffusion models in LLM, VLM, or Audio LM contexts with a focus on real-time performance - Curate specific datasets, especially for video, audio, cross-modal, and sensory-rich data - Collaborate with cross-functional teams to bring research advancements into production-ready technologies - Publish work in top-tier conferences and journals; communicate research results internally and externally - Stay at the cutting edge of real-time multimodal generative AI and agentic orchestration WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 5+ years of relevant experience, including research during graduate studies, in large language models, vision-language models, audio language models, deep learning, or related fields - Demonstrated impact as first author on major publications in top conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, frontier research background) - Deep expertise in at least one area: language modeling (LLM), vision-language modeling (VLM), or audio language modeling (Audio LM) - Strong experience with generative models, including autoregressive and diffusion models, and their real-time deployment - Hands-on experience curating, constructing, or augmenting large, high-quality multimodal datasets - Experience developing and deploying real-time systems and/or agentic orchestration infrastructure - Strong programming and prototyping skills (Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.) - Passion for building creative tools and platforms that empower users - Excellent communication and collaboration skills WHAT WE OFFER - Competitive salary and substantial equity in a high-growth startup - Full health benefits + 401k matching and more - Collaborative, mission-driven team environment with major growth opportunities - Flexible on-site/remote hybrid (HQ in Palo Alto, CA) ABOUT PIKA Pika empowers creators by building state-of-the-art agentic and multimedia platforms. Our vision is to break down technical barriers to creativity, making real-time generative and intelligent orchestration accessible to all. Join us and shape the next evolution of creative technology! If you are a leading researcher excited by real-time multimodal AI and agentic platforms, we want to hear from you.