AI Research Scientist
Overland Park, KS AI Engineering
Job Type
Full-time
Description


Propio is on a mission to make communication accessible to everyone. As a leader in real-time interpretation and multilingual language services, we connect people with the information they need across language, culture, and modality. We’re committed to building AI-powered tools to enhance interpreter workflows, automate multilingual insights, and scale communication quality across industries.


We are seeking an AI Research Scientist that will conduct groundbreaking research in machine learning and natural language technologies to drive innovation at Propio. This role focuses on exploring novel algorithms, improving existing models for interpretation and speech tasks, and publishing high-impact research to strengthen Propio's position as an AI leader in language services. 


Key Responsibilities:


  • Conduct research in NLP, speech, and machine learning, with focus on translation, interpretation, bidirectional communication, and low-resource language challenges
  • Develop and prototype novel architectures and algorithms for real-world applications in Propio's core domains
  • Publish in top AI and NLP conferences and journals (NeurIPS, ACL, ICML, EMNLP, Interspeech)
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to transition research into production systems, ensuring research advances translate to product improvements
  • Advise leadership on emerging technologies, research trends, and their applicability to Propio's roadmap 
  • Mentor junior researchers and foster a strong internal research culture within the expanded team
  • Identify and explore emerging challenges in speech-to-speech systems, multilingual interpretation, and agentic AI


Requirements


Qualifications:

  • Master’s Degree in Engineering, preferably in Computer Science, Statistics, or Data Science or equivalent work experience
  • 2-3+ years of experience working with NLP or large-scale ML models in production
  • Proven publication record in leading AI/NLP venues (NeurIPS, ACL, ICML, EMNLP, Interspeech)
  • Expertise in ML, deep learning, NLP, or speech processing methods
  • Proficiency in Python and research tooling (PyTorch, JAX, Transformers)
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science, AI, or related field (or equivalent research experience)
  • Strong problem-solving and scientific communication skills
  • Interest in applied research with real-world impact; experience in production ML systems a plus


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