ML Research Director, Duolingo English Test

Key Skills

Apache Hadoop, C Programming, C++, Data science techniques, Java Programming, Machine learning techniques, MapReduce, Python Programming, PyTorch, R Programming, Scala Programming, SQL, TensorFlow

Job Description

We are looking for a thought (and people) leader in AI, with a track record of delivering products and features based on your work. You will co-lead the Assessment R&D Area, which is a cross-functional collection of ML scientists, linguists, psychometricians, engineers, and others. This interdisciplinary group is advancing the field of “digital first” assessments: synthesizing natural language processing and machine learning with cognitive science and human-computer interaction. In many cases, you’ll need to invent entirely new methodologies to capitalize on our unique data. We are a diverse and motivated team, building software used by millions of people around the world, every day!

You Will...

• Help cultivate a shared team of ML researchers and engineers, leading by example through hiring, coaching, mentoring, and hands-on career development.
• Set the R&D agenda for the Duolingo English Test and other assessments in collaboration with educational measurement experts, including industry-leading work in automatic item generation, test scoring, and adaptive administration.
• Take a human-centered approach to algorithmic fairness, privacy, and access.
• Represent Duolingo and its research to diverse stakeholders, including artificial intelligence, educational measurement, university admissions, and government audiences.
• Support Duolingo in formulating a technical vision and strategy for next-generation assessment technology.

You Have...

• A creative, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial approach to R&D.
• A desire to develop great people and phenomenal products.
• A history of taking research from the lab into production.
• Excellent presentation, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills.
• PhD (or equivalent industry experience) in computer science, ML, NLP, or a related field.
• Ability to travel to Pittsburgh, PA at least once per quarter.

Exceptional Candidates Will Have...

• 10+ years of post-doctoral and/or industry experience across a variety of AI/ML products.
• A portfolio of relevant publications or open-source projects.
• A desire to keep up with the field by attending or publishing at relevant conferences (ACL, EMNLP, KDD, AAAI, ICLR, CVPR, InterSpeech, etc.)
• Familiarity with educational and/or assessment technologies is a plus!