Senior Applied Research

twilio•Remote•greenhouse
Posted Date:

September 30, 2025

Employment Type:

Not specified

Work Arrangement:

Remote

Skills & Technologies

Engineeringpreferred

Contact Information

Job Description

Who we are

At Twilio, we’re shaping the future of communications, all from the comfort of our homes. We deliver innovative solutions to hundreds of thousands of businesses and empower millions of developers worldwide to craft personalized customer experiences.

Our dedication to remote-first work, and strong culture of connection and global inclusion means that no matter your location, you’re part of a vibrant team with diverse experiences making a global impact each day. As we continue to revolutionize how the world interacts, we’re acquiring new skills and experiences that make work feel truly rewarding. Your career at Twilio is in your hands.

See yourself at Twilio

Join the team as our next Principal Machine Learning Researcher on Twilio’s Emerging Technology & Innovation organization.

About the job

This position is needed to lead horizon 3 research projects which are looking to understand and in some cases predict the future that will exist based on technological advances across AI/ ML, AGI, quantum computing, blockchain and more. You will lead and conduct original research in these domains, focusing on solving complex business challenges and discovering new opportunities.

Twilio's ETI organization is focused on exploring the future of customer engagement through research and experimentation. We dream big, are customer obsessed, and iterative in our discovery approach.

As a Principal Applied Researcher, you will be responsible for leading research projects, experimenting with proof of concepts, and staying on the cutting edge of “what if”. There are many exciting challenges ahead of us and we are looking for a researcher who is comfortable with ambiguity, has a proven track record for delivering results, and has experience with the emerging technologies of AI, LLMs, and a passion for keeping up with their latest developments.

Responsibilities

In this role, you’ll:

    • Help define what the future looks like based on technological trends, draw implications for opportunities and challenges for Twilio based on that future
    • Analyze the latest AI/ML trends, techniques, and literature; summarize and translate findings into actionable recommendations for stakeholders across engineering, product, and business teams
    • Where relevant, evaluate, design, and prototype novel algorithms, models, and architectures for real-world applications (e.g., NLP, computer vision, recommender systems, generative models, etc.)
    • Where relevant, deconstruct existing software/ tools, to better understand source of distinction from a technical standpoint
    • Benchmark solutions against state-of-the-art approaches, leveraging appropriate datasets, metrics, and evaluation methodologies
    • Author and present clear, comprehensive technical reports, publications, and presentations for both technical and business audiences.
    • Mentor and guide junior researchers and data scientists; foster a culture of technical excellence, curiosity, and rapid learning

Qualifications

Twilio values diverse experiences from all kinds of industries, and we encourage everyone who meets the required qualifications to apply. If your career is just starting or hasn't followed a traditional path, don't let that stop you from considering Twilio. We are always looking for people who will bring something new to the table!

Required:

    • Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
    • 5+ years of hands-on experience in applied machine learning, deep learning, or artificial intelligence research
    • Strong publication record or evidence of thought leadership in AI/ML (conferences, journals, patents, open-source contributions)
  • Proven experience with major ML frameworks (e.g