Research Scientist II – Deepfake Detection & Authentication (Video & Audio)

What you’ll do

As a Research Scientist II on our core Research team, you will independently drive research initiatives, deliver reproducible experimental results, and help translate machine learning models into real-world product solutions across deepfake video, deepfake audio, and voice/identity authentication. In this role, you will:

• Conduct research to develop new functionalities and improve existing technologies for synthetic media detection, multimodal deepfake identification (audio and video), and real-time identity authentication.
• Design, implement, and evaluate deep learning algorithms related to audio-visual deepfake detection, speech synthesis detection, facial manipulation analysis, and biometric authentication.
• Design, develop, and maintain internal research packages and pipelines to train, evaluate, and benchmark ML models, ensuring computational efficiency and absolute reproducibility.
• Partner closely with research engineers and engineering teams to transition complex research prototypes into efficient, scalable, production-ready systems across cloud and edge platforms.
• Support targeted investigations by analyzing model behavior, edge cases, attack vectors, and detection gaps, turning insights into measurable improvements in model robustness.
• Participate in regular code and research reviews, cross-functional project syncs, and contribute to patents and peer-reviewed papers for top-tier computer vision, speech, audio, and machine learning conferences.

Who you are

• You remain focused, persistent, and scientifically rigorous through multiple experimental iterations, navigating ambiguity in complex multimodal datasets, evolving attack techniques, and shifting methodologies.
• You seamlessly bridge the gap between research and engineering teams, explaining complex AI/ML and biometric concepts with clarity to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• You take individual ownership of assigned research projects and workstreams, making sound technical decisions grounded in empirical data, mathematical theory, and rigorous experimental validation.
• You follow through on your commitments, communicate research progress transparently, and maintain the highest standard of technical integrity, documentation, and model reproducibility.
• You design, train, and evaluate machine learning models with a strong awareness of bias, drift, and operational deployment constraints, applying sound judgment to balance experimentation speed with model quality and robustness.

Your skill-set

Must-Haves:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field (or equivalent industry research experience).
• 3+ years of professional or post-graduate research experience in Deep Learning, with a dedicated focus on at least one core area: computer vision (facial analysis, video processing), speech/audio processing (speaker recognition, speech synthesis detection), or voice biometrics and identity authentication.
• Hands-on research experience in audio-visual deepfake detection, synthetic media identification, or multimodal biometric verification.
• Strong programming proficiency in Python with a proven ability to build, maintain, and structure reproducible research tooling, experimentation frameworks, or evaluation workflows.
• Hands-on mastery of modern machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Keras.
• A proven track record of successful, timely project delivery and the ability to translate research findings into practical improvements, supported by peer-reviewed publications or patent contributions.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Functional programming experience in C/C++ or familiarity with model optimization and deployment tools (e.g., ONNX, TensorRT, TF-Lite, Go).
• Practical experience with real-time streaming video or audio processing pipelines and large-scale synthetic data generation/augmentation.
• Experience competing in or leveraging benchmarks from prominent challenges (e.g., DFDC, ASVspoof, NIST SRE/FRVT, Kaggle).
• Familiarity with natural language processing (NLP), foundational multimodal architectures, or sequence modeling applied to authentication and spoofing detection.

What’s in it for you

At Pindrop, research sits at the intersection of AI, voice, video, fraud prevention, and identity trust. You will turn real-world interaction data into insights that protect millions of people from synthetic media and sophisticated identity manipulation:

• Build expertise in an emerging category: Develop firsthand knowledge of multimodal deepfake detection, generative AI defenses, and real-time authentication as these technologies rapidly evolve.
• Work with real-world data at meaningful scale: Train and evaluate models on complex audio and video datasets, identifying subtle artifacts, anomalies, and evasion tactics in high-stakes environments.
• Bridge research and production: Partner closely with Research Scientists, Research Engineers, and Product leaders to see your algorithms transition from experimental code into live enterprise deployments.
• Strengthen your scientific and engineering rigor: Sharpen your ability to formulate hypotheses, design reproducible evaluation pipelines, and push the state of the art in synthetic media defense.
• Drive measurable impact: Your work directly strengthens Pindrop's defense stack against deepfake threats, fortifying trust across voice and video communications for major global enterprises.
• Grow as an independent researcher: Take full ownership of meaningful research roadmaps while collaborating with a world-class team that balances technical excellence with sustainable culture and continuous learning.

What we offer

As a part of Pindrop, you’ll have a direct impact on our growing list of products and the future of security in the voice-driven economy. We hire great people and take care of them. Here’s a snapshot of the benefits we offer:

• Competitive compensation package, including RSUs (Restricted Stock Units) for all employees, so everyone shares in our long-term success.
• Remote-first environment - giving you flexibility and autonomy in how you structure your day.
• While we work flexibly, we prioritize meaningful in-person moments through regular team on-sites, company-wide events, and intentional gatherings that foster connection, collaboration, and shared success.
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Generous health and welfare plans to choose from - including one employer-paid “employee-only” plan!
• Best-in-class Health Savings Account (HSA) employer contribution
• Low-cost vision and dental plans for you and your family, providing comprehensive coverage and peace of mind.
• Paid Parental Leave - Including birth, adoptive & foster parents
• One year of diaper delivery for your newest addition to the family! It’s our way of welcoming new Pindroplets to the family!
• Recurring monthly phone and internet allowance to help cover essential connectivity costs and support flexible work.
• Enhanced fertility and GLP-1 benefits to support family-building journeys and personalized health needs.
• Annual Learning & Development stipend to support your professional growth, skill-building, certifications, and continued education.

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