This role pays more than
92%
of similar roles. Most pay
$162,000–$248,375
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$295k
versus about
$205k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About Cisco
Cisco Systems is the world''s leading networking technology company, designing and manufacturing networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and cybersecurity solutions for businesses and governments. Industry: Networking Technology & Cybersecurity
Cisco currently has
205 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$167,700–$245,200
across 158 roles with salary data.
As a Senior Lead AI Researcher on the Cisco AI Research team, you will serve as a foundational architect for proprietary intelligence by developing purpose-built large language models tailored for networking, security, data center, and observability domains. You will lead high-stakes, end-to-end pre-training initiatives, move beyond standard fine-tuning to build foundational models, and conduct innovative research in generative AI to improve networking automation and human-computer interaction. The role requires expertise in PyTorch or TensorFlow for training on distributed computing clusters with over 100 GPUs. You will manage dataset curation, tokenization strategies, and training pipeline execution while collaborating with cross-functional teams to integrate breakthroughs into tangible solutions. This position addresses the technical challenge of creating specialized models that solve complex system-level problems within critical infrastructure environments without relying on external AI providers.
Develop purpose-built large language models for networking, security, data center, and observability infrastructure.
Lead high-stakes, end-to-end pre-training initiatives to build foundational models for the product portfolio.
Conduct innovative research in generative AI to improve model capabilities for automation and human-computer interaction.
Translate abstract research findings into scalable, tangible features for business solutions.
Execute full-cycle pre-training projects including dataset curation, tokenization strategy, and training pipeline execution.
Publish original research in top-tier AI venues to establish the company as a global thought leader.
Implement and train models on distributed computing clusters using PyTorch or TensorFlow.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in STEM with 12+ years experience, Master's in STEM with 8+ years, or PhD in STEM/related field with 5+ years of research experience.
Experience leading or contributing to at least one full-cycle pre-training, distillation based pre-training, or continual pre-training project for an LLM or foundational model.
Minimum of 3 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier AI venues such as ACL, EMNLP, ICLR, ICML, NAACL, or NeurIPS.
3+ years of experience using PyTorch or TensorFlow to train models on distributed computing clusters with 100+ GPUs.
2+ years of experience applying machine learning models to networking, data center, security, or observability datasets.
Experience working in an industrial research lab environment, driving projects from conceptual research to practical application (preferred).
Subject matter expertise in networking, cybersecurity, or observability, and the ability to apply AI to these complex domains (preferred).
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence technical direction and translate research into scalable product features (preferred).
Large Language Models
PyTorch
Reinforcement Learning
Distributed Training
Generative AI
Agentic Frameworks
Pre-training
Inference Pipelines
Context Engineering
Networking
Cybersecurity
Data Center Infrastructure
Python
C++
Java
LLMs
Agentic Workflows
Deep Learning Frameworks
Docker
AWS
GCP
Azure
Prompt Engineering
System Design
Data Structures
Algorithms
Distributed Training
GitHub Copilot
Claude Code
Cursor