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Research/Compiler Engineer

Palo Alto, California, United States

Who We Are

Lightning AI is the company reimagining the way AI is built. After creating and releasing PyTorch Lightning in 2019, Lightning AI was launched to reshape the development of artificial intelligence products for commercial and academic use.

We are on a mission to simplify AI development, making it accessible to everyone—from solo researchers to large enterprises. By removing the complexity of building and deploying AI tools, we empower innovators to focus on solving real-world problems. Our platform is built to scale with the latest AI advancements while staying intuitive and adaptable, so you can bring your ideas to life.

We have offices in New York City, Palo Alto, and London and are backed by investors such as Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute.

Our Values

  • Move Fast: We act with speed and precision, breaking down big challenges into achievable steps.

  • Focus: We complete one goal at a time with care, collaborating as a team to deliver features with precision.

  • Balance: Sustained performance comes from rest and recovery. We ensure a healthy work-life balance to keep you at your best.

  • Craftsmanship: Innovation through excellence. Every detail matters, and we take pride in mastering our craft.

  • Minimal: Simplicity drives our innovation. We eliminate complexity through discipline and focus on what truly matters.

What we're looking for

We are looking for a research engineer to work directly on the Lightning Thunder compiler and the rest of the PyTorch Lightning stack. This is an opportunity to create groundbreaking technology that will transform the machine learning ecosystem.

What you’ll do

  • Develop the Thunder compiler, an open-source project developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, using your deep experience in PyTorch, JAX, or other deep learning frameworks
  • Engage in performance-oriented model optimizations, around distributed training as well as inference
  • Develop optimized kernels in CUDA or Triton to target specific use-cases
  • Integrate Thunder throughout the PyTorch Lightning ecosystem
  • Engage with the community and champion its growth
  • Support the adoption of Thunder across the industry
  • Work closely within the Lightning team as a strategic partner

What you’ll need

  • Strong experience with deep learning frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.
  • Expertise in compiler development or optimizations in distributed training and inference workflows is highly valued.
  • Proven track record contributing to open-source projects, especially in machine learning or high-performance computing. Experience collaborating with external partners is a plus.
  • Hands-on experience in model optimization, with a focus on maximizing performance, efficiency, and scalability in large-scale or distributed training setups.
  • Passion for engaging with open-source communities, including experience supporting users and advocating for project adoption.
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills for working within a close-knit, high-impact team environment.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Preferred Master's or PhD in machine learning and related areas.

 

Benefits and Perks

We offer competitive base salaries and stock options with a 25% one year cliff and monthly vesting thereafter. For our international employees, we work with Velocity Global to pay you in your local currency and provide equitable benefits across the globe.

In the US, we offer:

  • Medical, dental and vision
  • Life and AD&D insurance 
  • Flexible paid time off plus 1 week of winter closure
  • Generous paid family leave benefits
  • $500 monthly meal reimbursement, including groceries & food delivery services
  • $1,000 home office stipend
  • $1,000 annual learning & development stipend 
  • 100% Citibike membership (NYC only)
  • $45/month gym membership 
  • Additional various medical and mental health services

At Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and create better products. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We are dedicated to building a culture where everyone can thrive and contribute to their fullest potential.

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