Cisco Machine Learning Engineer – AI Research

Cisco invites exceptional talent to join its AI Research team as a Machine Learning Engineer based in San Jose, California or Seattle, Washington
. This full-time professional role offers an opportunity to advance state-of-the-art research in Generative AI
, Large Language Models (LLMs), and multi-modal systems
, driving innovations that shape the future of secure, intelligent networking.

Cisco is one of the world’s most trusted technology companies, connecting people, businesses, and communities across the globe. Nearly every internet connection touches Cisco technology, and the company remains at the forefront of powering a more inclusive and digital future.

The Cisco AI Research group is a cross-disciplinary unit of AI scientists, data specialists, and network engineers who collaborate on pioneering research  team focuses on both basic and applied AI research, addressing complex challenges that emerge when connecting billions of people and devices worldwide.

This role offers the opportunity to work alongside thought leaders in artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and network automation. The successful candidate will be one of the founding members of a rapidly growing AI team, helping shape its culture, research priorities, and long-term vision.

The Machine Learning Engineer will focus on developing research advances in Generative AI and domain-specific AI models that enhance automation, human-computer interaction, and model safety in networking contexts. The role will involve building foundational representations relevant to network intelligence, ensuring that AI systems deliver differentiated value across diverse use cases.

The position combines academic-level research rigor with industry-driven innovation, requiring collaboration with engineers, product managers, and strategists. The successful candidate will also contribute to the global research community through publications, technical presentations, and participation in academic workshops.

• Conduct cutting-edge research in Generative AI, LLMs, and network-specific AI applications.
• Design and implement scalable machine learning solutions for automation, network optimization, and intelligent systems.
• Build and fine-tune foundational models, including multi-modal and domain-specific architectures.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to apply research outcomes to real-world products and infrastructure.
• Maintain awareness of global advances in AI, publishing findings in top-tier venues and contributing to Cisco’s research leadership.
• Present results at internal and external conferences, organize technical workshops, and mentor emerging researchers.

• PhD in Computer Science or a closely related technical discipline, with research or industrial experience in machine learning or AI; or a Master’s degree plus significant experience in pre-training and post-training large language models.
• A minimum of three publications in leading AI conferences such as ACL, EMNLP, ICLR, ICML, NAACL, or NeurIPS.
• Demonstrated expertise in machine learning model development using frameworks such as Tensor Flow
  , Py Torch , or Hugging Face
  .
• Strong theoretical understanding of deep learning, representation learning, and generative architectures.
• Proven ability to drive independent research projects and collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary teams.

• Experience leading or contributing to research projects in academic or industrial laboratories.
• Strong interest in combining representation learning with problem-specific constraints in applied domains.
• Experience in building or fine-tuning foundation models
  , including multi-modal or LLM architectures.
• Familiarity with neural network optimization
  , model evaluation
  , and scalable deployment
  .
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills conducive to cross-team collaboration.
• Previous experience working in an industrial research environment (internship or full-time).

The projected compensation range for this role in the United States is USD 160,100 – 207,900
, depending on location, skills, and…