Research Scientist, Post-Training — Video Generation
This is the employer's own posting, not a copy on a job board.
What we know
Is it still open?
Confirmed still open
Last checked 2d ago — checked against the employer's own applicant tracking system, which is the company answering directly.
We re-read the employer's own applicant tracking system and the posting was still there. That is the company answering directly.
How old is it?
Posted 148d ago
The date the source published, not the day we noticed it (2026-05-16). Last seen at its source 3h ago.
We have tracked this listing since 5 Oct 2026 (5 days). The employer's own board has carried it every time we have read it, most recently 3 hours ago.
Is it remote?
US remote
That is the location the employer filed this posting under. Quoted as written — we do not re-word the source's own location.
Who may apply?
United States
The description states no restriction of its own. This is the source's own tag.
Pay not stated
Similar roles pay $105k–184.5k/yr
Middle 50% of 1293 listings that do state pay — Operations · all levels · United States · USD/year. This employer has published no salary; this is what comparable listings we hold disclose, never converted between currencies or periods. How this is calculated.
Skills named in the ad
Recognised terms only, from a fixed vocabulary — this is what CV matching compares against.
Carried by 1 source
-
Ashby employer's own board first seen 5d ago · last seen 3h ago
The listing
At Pika, we are pioneering the next generation of creative infrastructure built around real-time, multimodal generation and intelligent agentic platforms. We are seeking Research Scientists with expertise in RL post-training and generative modeling for large-scale video generation. The focus is on refining Pika's video generation models using RL alignment and building robust video reward models. This is a staff and lead-level opportunity.
As a key member of our research team, you will own RL-based post-training for video diffusion/flow-matching models, develop state-of-the-art reward models, and lead post-training evaluation across human and automated metrics. You will collaborate closely with engineering and product teams, shaping the frontier of real-time creative and agentic video platforms.
Scope
RL alignment of Pika's video generation models and the reward models that drive them.
Distillation of RL-tuned models is a secondary focus.
Responsibilities
Run RL post-training (preference optimization, online RL against learned rewards) for video diffusion/flow-matching models at multi-node scale.
Build video reward models: define target evaluation dimensions, design/configure preference data collection workflows, train and validate learned judges, and safeguard against reward hacking.
Own post-training evaluation, including human preference studies and their correlation with automated metrics.
Distill RL-tuned models to efficient few-step samplers while preserving alignment gains (secondary focus).
What We’re Looking For
Required
2+ years hands-on research experience in post-training or generative modeling.
RL or preference-optimization experience on generative models with evidence of model improvement.
Strong grounding in diffusion or flow-matching models, PyTorch, and multi-node distributed training.
Preferred
Experience developing reward models for visual generation, including VLM-as-judge or large-scale preference data collection.
Distillation expertise (distribution matching, consistency, adversarial approaches), ideally for video models.
Familiarity with video-specific failure modes: temporal drift, motion and physics realism.
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 significant 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 to shape the next evolution of creative technology!
If you are passionate about advancing RL alignment and generative modeling for video, and want to scale real-time multimodal foundation models, we want to hear from you.