--- title: 'AI Research Engineer at Prolific' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ai-research-engineer-prolific-united-kingdom-pap5v51z9tqf' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # AI Research Engineer at Prolific - **Company:** Prolific - **Location:** United Kingdom - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2025-04-25 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/prolific/jobs/4580702101 ## Job description AI Research Engineer Prolific Prolific is not just another player in the AI space – we are the architects of the human data infrastructure that's reshaping the landscape of AI development. In a world where foundational AI technologies are increasingly commoditized, it's the quality and diversity of human-generated data that truly differentiates products and models. ## The Role Prolific AI Research (PAIR) is the AI research group at Prolific (https://labs.prolific.com/). We work on the science of evaluation: how to measure AI systems well, grounded in real human judgement at population scale. We are seeking a Research Engineer to conduct innovative research in key AI areas including evaluation methodologies (particularly those grounded in human data), alignment techniques, and synthetic data generation. You'll bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and practical applications, helping to translate research insights into valuable products and services. As part of our commitment to contribute to the wider AI community, you'll be involved in writing papers that advance the field. Your work will directly impact how we understand, evaluate, and improve AI systems through high-quality human data. ## What You’ll Be Doing Research & Innovation - Lead independent research projects in AI evaluation methodologies, alignment techniques, and synthetic data generation - Design and implement novel evaluation frameworks for LLMs and agent systems that are grounded in human data - Contribute to the academic AI community through publications and open-source contributions - Stay at the forefront of AI research and pioneer innovative approaches to tackle pressing open challenges in the field Technical Implementation - Design and conduct rigorous experiments to study AI models and systems with sound methodological approaches - Develop scalable frameworks for systematic evaluation of model behaviours and capabilities - Create tools and frameworks that transform research insights into practical applications - Build infrastructure to support large-scale research experiments when needed - Apply knowledge of model fine-tuning, optimization techniques, distillation, and other ML engineering practices to support research goals Cross-Functional Collaboration - Work closely with ML engineers, data scientists, and product teams to translate research insights into practical applications - Mentor team members on advanced AI concepts and emerging research directions - Communicate complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders ## What You’ll Bring - 5+ years of engineering experience with significant AI/ML focus - Demonstrated research experience through publications, open-source contributions, or impactful projects - Strong engineering fundamentals and experience implementing AI systems in production environments - Deep knowledge of LLM evaluation methodologies, alignment techniques, and model optimization approaches - Experience with model fine-tuning, adapters, quantization, and distillation frameworks - Self-motivation and ability to define and pursue research directions independently - Excellent understanding of current challenges in AI safety, reliability, and alignment - Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex research concepts clearly - Passion for staying current with the rapidly evolving AI research landscape Why Prolific is a great place to work We've built a unique platform that connects researchers and companies with a global pool of participants, enabling the collection of high-quality, ethically sourced human behavioral data and feedback. This data is the cornerstone of developing more accurate, nuanced, and aligned AI systems. We believe that the next leap in AI capabilities won't come solely from scaling existing models, but from integrating diverse human perspectives and behaviors into AI development. By providing this crucial human data infrastructure, Prolific is positioning itself at the forefront of the next wave of AI innovation – one that reflects the breadth and the best of humanity. Working for us will place you at the forefront of AI innovation, providing access to our unique human data platform and opportunities for groundbreaking research. Join us to enjoy a competitive salary, benefits, and remote working within our impactful, mission-driven culture. Links to more information on Prolific [Benefits](https://www.notion.so/prolific/dbc97f2b3ff24f1bb6fa834a2c9c3283?v=4f874e88e46a4f54afd8bf62f1db19ed&p=9f2c1de05dfa43338d48c20362bfead1&pm=c) [External Handbook](https://www.notion.so/prolific/dbc97f2b3ff24f1bb6fa834a2c9c3283?v=4f874e88e46a4f54afd8bf62f1db19ed) [Website](https://www.prolific.com/) [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@JoinProlific) Privacy Statement By submitting your application, you agree that Prolific may collect your personal data for recruiting and global organisation planning. Prolific's [Candidate Privacy Notice](https://www.notion.so/prolific/Policy-Privacy-Notice-for-Candidates-f94a136a67544388b4888bc436451b57) explains what personal information Prolific may process, where Prolific may process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over Prolific use of your personal information. ## About Prolific ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Prolific is a technology company that provides a platform for collecting high-quality, human-derived data from verified participants, used by AI developers, researchers, and organizations for AI training, surveys, and user research. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series A) - **Headquarters**: London, UK (with a New York City hub and remote presence across the US and UK) - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Phelim Bradley, Ph.D. (CEO & Co-founder) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: AI data services, market research, academic research, human-in-the-loop AI - **Target customers**: B2B — AI developers, academic researchers, product teams, and enterprise organizations (35,000+ data collectors use the platform) - **Mission or purpose statement**: "To help thinkers, creators, and innovators make the impossible possible" by building a future where human insight drives breakthroughs in science, technology, and society. ## Products & Services - **Prolific Platform**: A web-based platform that connects researchers and AI developers with a pool of 200,000+ active, verified participants for online studies. Studies launch every 2 minutes, with a 97% completion rate and data sets delivered in under 2 hours on average. - **AI Training & Evaluation**: Human feedback from representative populations for preference tuning, safety evaluations, and benchmarks. Used to defend AI model quality. - **Research Services**: Accelerated research through insights from verified participants, supporting behavioral research, surveys, and user testing. - **Participant Marketplace**: A paid participant side where individuals can join paid online studies with flexible scheduling and real payouts. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: $32 million in Series A funding (secured in 2023) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Series A funding of $32M (lead investors not specified in available data); trusted by thousands of organizations including cutting-edge AI startups and Ivy League universities. - **Growth Signals**: - Expanded into the US with a New York City hub (announced February 2024) - 172 open job listings across multiple departments (as of mid-2026) - 700+ studies launch every day on the platform - Participants from 38+ countries speaking 80+ languages - 10,000+ organizations use Prolific - 35,000+ data collectors use the platform ## Competitive Advantages - **Verified participant pool**: All participants are actively vetted, verified, and fairly paid, ensuring high-quality, trustworthy data without the noise of typical survey platforms. - **Speed and reliability**: Data sets are delivered in under 2 hours on average, with a 97% study completion rate — a significant moat for time-sensitive AI and research projects. - **Representative populations**: Ability to source diverse, representative participant pools for AI safety evals and benchmarks, critical for regulatory compliance and model defensibility. - **Trusted brand**: 10 years of operation, trusted by leading academics, AI developers, and Ivy League universities. ## Strategic Focus - **AI and human data**: Continuing to build the "biggest pool of human-derived data in the world" with a focus on powering AI training, safety evaluations, and benchmarks. - **US expansion**: Opening a New York City hub and hiring across the US (San Francisco, Seattle, New York) signals a major push into the North American market. - **Product development**: Active hiring for product, engineering, data science, and AI research roles indicates ongoing platform innovation and scaling. - **Enterprise growth**: Hiring for Strategic Customer Success Managers, Solutions Engineers, and Strategic Account Executives suggests a focus on enterprise and strategic accounts. ## Why Work Here - **Remote-first culture**: Prolific is remote-first with flexible work arrangements. Employees report high satisfaction with working location freedom (FlexScore data). Regular company-wide and team meet-ups, plus an annual in-person get-together. - **Autonomy and flexibility**: 81% of employees feel they have complete autonomy over their work; 83% are happy with flexible hours; 78% report good work-life balance. - **Benefits**: Home office budget for new joiners with annual top-up, personal learning and development budget, share options, and competitive benefits (86% employee satisfaction with benefits). - **Diversity and inclusion**: Strong DEI focus with a formal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Monitoring statement; a culture that celebrates differences and removes barriers. - **Growth opportunity**: Join a fast-scaling business backed by $32M in Series A funding with a clear mission and strong product-market fit. - **Culture principles**: "We care deeply about our customers," "We embrace change," "We aim high," "We win together," "We make every minute count," "We are optimistic and find a way." - **Hiring process**: Structured 4-stage process (talent call, hiring manager interview, panel interview with task compensation, final principles interview) with feedback surveys to continuously improve. ## Sources 1. [prolific.com](https://www.prolific.com/) 2. [prolific.com/about](https://www.prolific.com/about) 3. [prolific.com/careers](https://www.prolific.com/careers) 4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/prolific](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/prolific) 5. 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