About the role#
Centific AI Research is seeking a PhD Research Intern to design and evaluate speech-first models. You will focus on Spoken Language Models that reason over audio and interact conversationally. This role involves moving ideas from initial prototypes to practical demonstrations while working alongside scientists and engineers to deliver measurable impact.
What you'll do#
- Design and evaluate speech-first models.
- Develop end-to-end speech dialogue systems.
- Prototype a conversational Spoken Language Model.
- Create a data recipe that blends conversational speech with instruction-following corpora.
- Build an evaluation harness for Automatic Speech Recognition, Speech Translation, and Spoken Language Understanding.
What you'll need#
- Current PhD candidate in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Fluency in Python and PyTorch.
- Working knowledge of modern sequence models, such as Transformers or State Space Models.
- Depth in at least one of the following areas: discrete speech tokens, modality alignment, or post-training tuning.
- Strong experimentation habits including clean code, reproducibility, and clear reporting.
Location & details#
- This is a remote, full-time position.
- The role is open to candidates in the United States.
- Compensation is $45 per hour.
About Centific
Centific develops software platforms and manages data for artificial intelligence deployment. The company employs over 4,000 engineers and AI practitioners, including 150 PhDs and data scientists. It serves enterprise clients and large technology firms by creating pre-trained datasets and industry-specific language models. The organization is based in Redmond, Washington, and maintains a workforce of over 5,000 employees.
How to get in at Centific
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