AI Research Lead

Join Tether and Shape the Future of Digital FinanceAt Tether, we're not just building products, we're pioneering a global financial revolution. Our cutting-edge solutions empower businesses—from exchanges and wallets to payment processors and ATMs—to seamlessly integrate reserve-backed tokens across blockchains. By harnessing the power of blockchain technology, Tether enables you to store, send, and receive digital tokens instantly, securely, and globally, all at a fraction of the cost. Transparency is the bedrock of everything we do, ensuring trust in every transaction.Innovate with TetherTether Finance: Our innovative product suite features the world's most trusted stablecoin, USDT, relied upon by hundreds of millions worldwide, alongside pioneering digital asset tokenization services.But that's just the beginning:Tether Power: Driving sustainable growth, our energy solutions optimize excess power for Bitcoin mining using eco-friendly practices in state-of-the-art, geo-diverse facilities.Tether Data: Fueling breakthroughs in AI and peer-to-peer technology, we reduce infrastructure costs and enhance global communications with cutting-edge solutions like KEET, our flagship app that redefines secure and private data sharing.Tether Education: Democratizing access to top-tier digital learning, we empower individuals to thrive in the digital and gig economies, driving global growth and opportunity.Tether Evolution: At the intersection of technology and human potential, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible, crafting a future where innovation and human capabilities merge in powerful, unprecedented ways.Why Join Us?Our team is a global talent powerhouse, working remotely from every corner of the world. If you're passionate about making a mark in the fintech space, this is your opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest minds, pushing boundaries and setting new standards. We've grown fast, stayed lean, and secured our place as a leader in the industry.If you have excellent English communication skills and are ready to contribute to the most innovative platform on the planet, Tether is the place for you.Are you ready to be part of the future?About the jobWe are hiring a Multimodal & Video lead with a strong technical background in Image/Video/3D generation and Multimodal Foundation Models. You will play a critical role in driving the technical directions and building multimodal foundation models for image/video/3D generation, editing, animation and many more. As a member of the team, you will have the opportunity to drive fundamental capabilities, lead teams to work on ambitious projects and collaborate broadly across Tether with world-class engineers and researchers to advance open source development and the global AI community.We are a fast-paced group focusing on model, data and applied research on vision and multimodal foundation models. ResponsibilitiesLead the research, design, and development of state-of-the-art image, video, and 3D generation models, including multimodal foundation models.Lead high-impact, specialized projects focused on innovative text, images, audio and video applications.Define and drive the technical roadmap for multimodal AI initiatives, aligning research goals with business and product objectives.Provide technical leadership and mentorship to teams of AI researchers and engineers, fostering innovation and skill development.Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of multimodal model development, from dataset curation and model training to deployment and performance evaluation.Lead large-scale multi-node GPU model training, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and reproducibility of experiments.Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product, design, and engineering, to integrate AI solutions into production systems.Drive applied research initiatives in image/video/3D generation, editing, animation, and other related domains.Monitor advancements in AI research and multimodal technologies, and incorporate novel techniques to improve model capabilities and performance.Contribute to the AI research community, including publications, open-source contributions, and participation in conferences.Establish best practices and standards for coding, model evaluation, and experimentation within the team.Lead and manage complex projects, ensuring timely delivery, quality outcomes, and alignment with strategic objectives.Communicate technical insights and updates effectively to executive leadership, stakeholders, and external collaborators.Promote a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence, maintaining high team morale and accountability.In this role, you'll have the opportunity to drive roadmaps, propose your own research plan to advance Image/Video/3D generation models and technologies. You'll provide technical mentorship and guidance to the team and drive execution. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with broader teams across Tether.Minimum QualificationsPhD, MS or equivalent experienceHands on experience in building Image/Video/3D generation and multimodal foundation models building from scratch5+ years of experience in managing or leading 10+ research & engineer teamsExcellent communication and interpersonal skillsExcellent understanding of an AI-based product lifecycle.Hands-on experience in building end-to-end multimodal foundation models on thousands of multi-node GPUs.Proficiency in modern deep learning and diffusion frameworks & libraries.Preferred QualificationsDemonstrated expertise in computer vision, video generation foundation model and/or multimodal research especially building them from scratch.Strong history of delivering innovation in the space of multimodal & video.Ability to develop a long-term vision and execute strategies at scale while maintaining a grasp of technical details for better decision-making.Experience with VP-level presentations and reporting.Publications at leading AI conferences such as CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICML, ICLR, NeurIPS etc.Important information for candidatesRecruitment scams have become increasingly common. To protect yourself, please keep the following in mind when applying for roles:Apply only through our official channels. We do not use third-party platforms or agencies for recruitment unless clearly stated. All open roles are listed on our official careers page: Verify the recruiter's identity. All our recruiters have verified LinkedIn profiles. If you're unsure, you can confirm their identity by checking their profile or contacting us through our website.Be cautious of unusual communication methods. We do not conduct interviews over WhatsApp, Telegram, or SMS. All communication is done through official company emails and platforms.Double-check email addresses. All communication from us will come from emails ending in or We will never request payment or financial details. If someone asks for personal financial information or payment at any point during the hiring process, it is a scam. Please report it immediately.When in doubt, feel free to reach out through our official website.