Multimodal LLM Researcher (MLLM)

Multimodal LLM Researcher (MLLM) About the Role At Pika, we are pioneering next-generation creative infrastructure built around real-time, multimodal generation and intelligent, agentic platforms. We are seeking accomplished Multimodal LLM Researchers (LLM, VLM, and Audio LM) to drive forward our mission to make agentic real-time generative technology accessible, dynamic, and transformative for millions of creators. As a core member of our research team, you will be integral to designing and building foundational technologies, developing novel approaches for large multimodal language models (LLMs/VLMs/Audio LMs), and orchestrating intelligent agentic systems that power scalable, interactive multimedia experiences. You will collaborate closely with engineering and product teams, shaping the future of real-time creative platforms. What You’ll Do Lead and contribute to research efforts focused on real-time, multimodal generation—including text, image, video, and audio synthesis—as well as orchestration of agentic platform infrastructure Design and prototype novel algorithms and architectures for high-fidelity, real-time multimodal synthesis and interactive experiences Focus on real-time aspects of model inference and synthesis across modalities Work on diffusion model distillation and/or develop diffusion-based world models for multimodal applications Train and finetune autoregressive and diffusion models in LLM, VLM, or Audio LM contexts with a focus on real-time performance Curate specific datasets, especially for video, audio, cross-modal, and sensory-rich data Collaborate with cross-functional teams to bring research advancements into production-ready technologies Publish work in top-tier conferences and journals; communicate research results internally and externally Stay at the cutting edge of real-time multimodal generative AI and agentic orchestration What We’re Looking For 5+ years of relevant experience, including research during graduate studies, in large language models, vision-language models, audio language models, deep learning, or related fields Demonstrated impact as first author on major publications in top conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, CVPR, ICML, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, Interspeech, etc.) Deep expertise in at least one area: language modeling (LLM), vision-language modeling (VLM), or audio language modeling (Audio LM) Strong experience with generative models, including autoregressive and diffusion models, and their real-time deployment Hands-on experience curating, constructing, or augmenting large, high-quality multimodal datasets Experience developing and deploying real-time systems and/or agentic orchestration infrastructure Strong programming and prototyping skills (Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.) Passion for building creative tools and platforms that empower users Excellent communication and collaboration skills What We Offer Competitive salary and substantial equity in a high-growth startup Full health benefits + 401k matching and more Collaborative, mission-driven team environment with major growth opportunities Flexible on-site/remote hybrid (HQ in Palo Alto, CA) About Pika Pika empowers creators by building state-of-the-art agentic and multimedia platforms. Our vision is to break down technical barriers to creativity, making real-time generative and intelligent orchestration accessible to all. Join us and shape the next evolution of creative technology! If you are a leading researcher excited by real-time multimodal AI and agentic platforms, we want to hear from you.