Carnegie Mellon University · 1 month ago
Research Associate - LTI - School of Computer Science
Pittsburgh, PA
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad, Entry LevelCarnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university known for its innovative approaches to education and research. The Language Technologies Institute (LTI) is seeking a motivated Research Associate to work on developing Reasoning Reward Models that generate natural language insights to explain human preferences, contributing to advancements in natural language processing and machine learning.
EducationHigher EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Train Reasoning Reward Models using Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) and Direct Preference Optimization (DPO) to generate natural-language insights for Math and Medical tasks
Implement insight-based post-training mechanisms, specifically "Behavioral Priming" and "Insight Exhibition Rewards," to align models with interpretable reasoning criteria
Develop and implement software prototypes, algorithms, and data pipelines to support ongoing research projects
Execute experimental workflows and simulations, ensuring accurate data collection and logging
Analyze experimental results and metrics to identify trends, errors, or areas for optimization
Document technical processes, codebases, and research findings to ensure reproducibility and knowledge transfer
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant tools, libraries, and best practices in software engineering and research
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, AI, ML, Data Science or a related field
Programming proficiency in Python, with experience in deep learning
Knowledge and experience of LLM fundamentals
Academic or project based familiarity with Large Language Model Concepts, including Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) and basic Reinforcement Learning (RL) concepts
Experience manipulating and processing datasets for NLP tasks (working with tokenizers, JSONL formats or Hugging Face datasets)
Demonstrated ability to read technical research papers and implement algorithms or baselines from code repositories
A combination of education and meaningful experience from which comparable knowledge is proven may be considered
Successful background check investigation may be required
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance
Generous retirement savings program
Tuition benefits
Ample paid time off
Observed holidays
Life and accidental death and disability insurance
Free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass
Access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs
Fitness center access
Company
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university that offers degrees in technology, arts, and various other fields.
Founded in 1900
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Carnegie Mellon University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (131)
2024 (131)
2023 (149)
2022 (132)
2021 (120)
2020 (99)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$488.58MKey Investors
ICANNAppalachian Regional CommissioneBPF Foundation
2025-05-29Grant· $0.45M
2024-09-05Grant· $0.5M
2024-08-29Grant· $0.05M
Leadership Team
Amy Coutu
Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Applications
Chirag Patel
Adjunct Professor
Recent News
Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories
2026-01-18
2026-01-16
Bizjournals.com Feed (2025-11-12 15:43:17)
2026-01-16
Company data provided by crunchbase