Forward Deployed Researcher

Prolific

Prolific is not just another player in the AI space – we are the architects of the human data infrastructure that's reshaping the landscape of AI development. In a world where foundational AI technologies are increasingly commoditized, it's the quality and diversity of human-generated data that truly differentiates products and models.

The Role

We're seeking a Forward Deployed Researcher to serve as Prolific's technical research partner to AI labs and enterprise customers. You'll work directly with customers on AI evaluation and data collection projects - advising on methodology, designing frameworks, and delivering research engagements end-to-end as part of our services team. You'll contribute to how organizations approach evaluation, alignment, and human data challenges while shaping Prolific's own capabilities. Your work will directly impact how we understand, evaluate, and improve AI systems through high-quality human data.

What You’ll Be Doing

Customer Projects

• Serve as Prolific's technical research partner on customer engagements with AI labs and enterprise AI teams
• Advise and prototype bespoke solutions like evaluation methodology, rubric design, data collection approaches, quality frameworks, verifiers and validation frameworks, as well as RL environments
• Own methodology for projects - from scoping through delivery - working alongside our services team
• Build trusted relationships with customer research and engineering teams

Internal Partnership

• Surface patterns from customer work that should become platform capabilities, partnering with Product and Engineering to shape roadmap priorities
• Work with Services and Account teams to qualify opportunities and shape proposals
• Share learnings across the Research Engineering function to strengthen our collective expertise
• Contribute to Prolific's research publications and external collaborations as opportunities arise

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with product teams to translate research insights into practical applications
• Mentor team members on advanced AI concepts and emerging research
• Communicate complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders

What You’ll Bring

• 3+ years of experience in AI/ML research, research engineering, or applied ML
• Strong knowledge of LLM evaluation methodologies, data collection design, and human feedback approaches
• Experience designing AI-assisted or model-in-the-loop workflows - you think creatively about where AI can augment human judgment
• Track record of executing research or applied AI/ML projects with clear outcomes
• Can build quickly when needed - you're comfortable prototyping solutions and build your own tooling
• Strong communicator across contexts - you can hold your own with AI lab researchers, translate methodology into actionable recommendations for customers, and bring internal teams along on what matters and why. Prior customer-facing or consulting experience is a plus but not required.
• Based in US, Canada, or Mexico (or able to work US timezone hours)

Why Prolific is a great place to work

We've built a unique platform that connects researchers and companies with a global pool of participants, enabling the collection of high-quality, ethically sourced human behavioral data and feedback. This data is the cornerstone of developing more accurate, nuanced, and aligned AI systems.

We believe that the next leap in AI capabilities won't come solely from scaling existing models but from integrating diverse human perspectives and behaviors into AI development. By providing this crucial human data infrastructure, Prolific is positioning itself at the forefront of the next wave of AI innovation—one that reflects the breadth and the best of humanity.

Working for us will place you at the forefront of AI innovation, providing access to our unique human data platform and opportunities for groundbreaking research. Join us to enjoy a competitive salary, benefits, and remote working within our impactful, mission-driven culture.

Join us to enjoy a competitive salary, benefits, and remote working within our impactful, mission-driven culture. At Prolific, our compensation packages for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. Many roles also include the opportunity to earn a cash variable element, such as a bonus or commission. Each job posting shows a salary range that reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hires, based on the role’s location as well as your skills, experience, and relevant education or training. You can check the job posting’s subtitle to see where the position is based. Your recruiter will also be happy to share the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

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By submitting your application, you agree that Prolific may collect your personal data for recruiting and global organisation planning. Prolific's Candidate Privacy Notice explains what personal information Prolific may process, where Prolific may process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over Prolific use of your personal information.