Member of Technical Staff, Lead Researcher

What you'll do

• Set the research agenda for specific areas of DoorDash AI Research in collaboration with leadership.
• Lead high-impact research projects from initial problem framing through to publication and production deployment.
• Interview, recruit, and mentor researchers, engineers, and fellows to build the research organization.
• Shape the organization's culture, operating model, and publication strategies.
• Partner with ML platform, product, and operations teams to identify and execute high-leverage research bets.
• Translate research findings into real-world impact and production-ready systems.

What we're looking for

• Maintain a strong research track record with first-author publications at top ML venues or equivalent demonstrated output.
• Experience leading ambitious research projects end-to-end from problem framing through to results.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify high-value problems and recognize when an approach or result is exhausted.
• Possess a builder's instinct for working closely with real systems and real-world data.
• Show excitement for founding-team responsibilities including hiring, agenda-setting, and culture-building.
• Exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Have a track record of mentoring or developing other researchers.
• A PhD in a relevant field is typical but not required.