AI Research Scientist
At a glance
Mid-level AI Research role at Cogent Security. San Francisco · full-time · $100,000–$300,000 base.
aimlroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Lead research on automated reasoning, code analysis and AI security, carrying ideas from initial hypotheses to publication-ready results
- Create AI approaches for code reasoning and generation when existing methods fall short
- Build research tools, artifacts or systems for use within Cogent and by the wider research community
- Develop automated tests and fuzzing methods to check systems under development
- Publish research and work with engineering and product teams to bring findings into the core AI platform
What you bring
- Hands-on strength in static or dynamic analysis, formal verification, automated testing or fuzzing
- Experience applying or creating AI/ML methods for code reasoning or code generation
- A master's or doctoral degree in computer science or a closely related technical discipline
- Evidence of research or development impact through leading publications, substantial professional artifacts or widely used open-source work
Who this fits
This mid-level, full-time role suits a self-directed researcher who can adapt when early approaches fail and wants to connect rigorous research with practical systems. It is based in San Francisco with a hybrid arrangement.
From the employer
About Cogent
Cogent is an Applied AI Lab building the next generation of AI agents for cybersecurity. AI has fundamentally changed how attacks happen, allowing malicious actors to operate at unprecedented speed and scale. Cogent’s "AI Taskforce" assesses petabytes of enterprise data to remediate these issues before critical breaches occur.
To stay at the cutting edge, we blend frontier research with real-world execution. Alongside our core product work, Cogent Research serves as our applied AI lab, providing the research horsepower needed to make truly agentic security workflows a reality.
Since coming out of stealth, Cogent has experienced rapid growth. We partner with Fortune 500 companies to secure some of the most complex production environments in the world.
We’re backed by Greylock and we’ve built a team with the best minds in applied AI. Our team is comprised of people from:
Top universities like Stanford, Berkeley, Penn, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, Waterloo
Unicorn, high-growth companies like Scale AI, Databricks, Stripe, Tesla, Coinbase
World class cybersecurity experts from Wiz, Abnormal AI, Zscaler
Preeminent research labs like Deepmind and SAIL
About the Role
Cogent Research is the applied AI lab at the heart of Cogent's mission. As a Research Scientist, you will drive foundational and applied research at the frontier of automated reasoning and AI-driven code analysis — producing work that is both scientifically rigorous and directly impactful in the real world.
We are looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity, invents novel solutions when existing ones fall short, and has the flexibility to change course when initial ideas don't pan out. If you have deep expertise in automated reasoning, a strong publication or artifact track record, and a passion for making the world's infrastructure safer, we want to hear from you.
What You’ll Do & Achieve
Drive original, high-impact research in automated reasoning, code analysis, and AI-driven security, from early hypothesis through publication-quality results
Invent and apply novel AI techniques to challenges in code reasoning and code generation, advancing the state of the art
Develop significant research artifacts, tools, or systems that have real-world impact inside Cogent and in the broader research community
Design and execute automated testing and fuzzing strategies to validate systems under development
Publish findings at top-tier conferences and peer-reviewed journals
Collaborate with engineering and product teams to translate research into Cogent's core AI platform
Stay at the cutting edge of developments in ML, program analysis, and formal methods — and help shape Cogent's research direction
What You’ll Bring
Extensive Experience in Automated Reasoning: Deep hands-on expertise in static/dynamic analysis, formal verification, and/or automated testing and fuzzing
AI Expertise: Proven experience developing or applying AI/ML techniques to code reasoning or code generation problems
Education: An MSc or PhD/DPhil in Computer Science or a closely related technical field
Proven Track Record: Demonstrated impact through publications at top-tier conferences, significant artifacts developed in a professional setting, or widely-adopted open-source contributions
Independence: A highly self-directed, proactive, and self-starting attitude — you identify problems, propose solutions, and drive them to completion
Mission Alignment: A genuine passion for Cogent's mission and a belief that this work matters
Bonus Points:
Experience in cybersecurity — knowledge of vulnerability classes, exploit techniques, or secure-by-design systems
Familiarity with Cloud Infrastructure as Code (IaC) — tools like Terraform, Pulumi, CDK, or equivalent
For California Based Applicants
The standard base salary range for this position is $100,000 - $300,000 annually. Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for variable compensation, equity, and benefits.
We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse company. We do not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, civil or family status, age, disability, or race.