Principal AI/ML Researcher
Whoop · Boston, MA
$270,000–$300,000from the description
Jul 16, 2026
Boston, MA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior individual-contributor research role focused on building large-scale foundation models that fuse wearable sensor data, biomarkers, language, and behavioral signals to model human physiology. The position owns architectural direction and high-stakes design decisions across multimodal and self-supervised learning workstreams, from early research through production deployment, while also mentoring senior engineers and contributing to broader AI strategy. It suits a researcher with a strong publication record and a history of translating ambiguous, high-risk ML research into shipped capabilities.
Principal level · Boston, MA · Master's required · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $134,944 (middle half $104,979–$169,773). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (6)
The JD states 'Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) or equivalent depth' — because equivalent experience is explicitly accepted, the degree requirement is set to Masters (the lower of the two named degrees) rather than Doctorate. Candidates without a formal degree but with equivalent depth are also invited to apply.
SOC classification is a genuine judgment call: the role is primarily AI/ML research (foundation model architecture, self-supervised learning, RL-based post-training), which maps best to Data Scientists (15-2051). However, the emphasis on production impact, distributed training infrastructure, and architectural ownership also has strong Software Developer (15-1252) characteristics — hence the alternate code.
No total years of experience are stated in the posting; the seniority assessment is based on the described scope (org-wide technical authority, architectural direction-setting, external representation, growing staff and senior engineers) which clearly supports Principal level.
The posting explicitly requires in-office presence in Boston, MA and states candidates must be prepared to relocate; this role is not remote.
Publications at top-tier ML venues are listed as a qualification, signaling an academic/research community track record is expected.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): large-scale machine learning.
Read the full posting
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