Research Engineer - Audio & Speech Models

Company: Zyphra
Location: Palo Alto
Posted on: February 18, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Zyphra is an artificial intelligence company based in Palo Alto, California. The Role: As a Research Engineer - Audio & Speech Models , you will be a core contributor on Zyphra’s Audio Team, building the next generation of open-source text-to-speech and audio models. You will be deeply involved in the entire model training process from data gathering and processing to designing novel architectures and training methodologies. You’ll work across: Large-scale audio training runs Performance optimization of our training stack Audio dataset collection, processing, and evaluation Architecture and training methodology ablations and improvements Requirements: Strong research taste and intuition. The ability to work through a research project from conception to execution to write-up. Strong implementation and prototyping ability (can take an idea from conception to experimentation quickly) The ability to work well with others in a high-paced research setting Can rapidly learn new fields and are excited to implement new ideas Excellent communication and collaboration skills, and can work effectively on both research and engineering implementation at scale. Bonus Qualifications: Expertise and intuition for training models in the audio domain, including text-to-speech, ASR, speech-to-speech, speech-emotion-recognition, or other models Experience in training audio autoencoders. Understanding of signal processing, especially of audio signals. Experience with diffusion models, consistency models, or GANs Experience with training on large-scale (multi-node) GPU clusters Strong grasp of proper experimental methodology for running rigorous ablations and other hypothesis testing Understanding of and interest in large-scale, highly parallel data processing pipelines. Proficiency with PyTorch and Python. Experience contributing to large pre-existing codebases and rapidly getting up to speed. Previously published machine learning research in well-respected venues. Postgraduate degree in a scientific subject (Computer Science, EE/EECS, Mathematics, Physics, Machine Learning) Why Work at Zyphra: Our research methodology is to make grounded, methodical steps toward ambitious goals. Both deep research and engineering excellence are equally valued We strongly value new and crazy ideas and are very willing to bet big on new ideas We move as quickly as we can; we aim to minimize the bar to impact as low as possible We all enjoy what we do and love discussing AI Benefits and Perks: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and FSA plans Competitive compensation and 401(k) Relocation and immigration support on a case-by-case basis On-site meals prepared by a dedicated culinary team; Thursday Happy Hours In-person team in Palo Alto, CA, with a collaborative, high-energy environment

Keywords: Zyphra, Santa Rosa , Research Engineer - Audio & Speech Models, IT / Software / Systems , Palo Alto, California