---
title: 'Senior AI Research Engineer at Duolingo'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ai-research-engineer-duolingo-pittsburgh-1d1by79qrcsw'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Senior AI Research Engineer at Duolingo

- **Company:** Duolingo
- **Location:** Pittsburgh, PA
- **Compensation:** $197k–$267k
- **Posted:** 2026-07-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://careers.duolingo.com/jobs/8656931002?gh_jid=8656931002

## Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about finding [innovative solutions to complex technical problems](https://blog.duolingo.com/tag/engineering/?utm_source=greenhouse.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=engblog_gh_091224), running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world-class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes — while doing work that’s both fun and meaningful.

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

About the role...

We are looking for a Senior AI Research Engineer to join our Duolingo Video Call team. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record as an AI research engineer, with experience across various machine learning techniques including large language models, speech models, benchmarking, and/or personalization. They will have experience at multiple levels of the ML stack, including feature engineering, developing training data, fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, quality evaluations, deployment, and monitoring. On the Video Call team, we’re building AI systems that support the core learning mission of Duolingo, improving the learning experience and helping our learners build healthy, productive habits. Given the wide array of AI domains, broad experience in AI/ML is highly desirable.

🧠  You will...

- Join a full-stack team of frontend, backend and other AI Research engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
- Contribute to the development and training of a variety of machine learning models, including large-scale neural networks, speech recognition, and text-to-speech systems.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand their needs, to align the models’ outputs with company objectives.
- Participate in and influence strategic product and business decision making with members of the Language Learning leadership group.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in machine learning and apply this knowledge to drive advancements in our projects.
- Mentor team members, providing guidance and support in their professional development.
- Ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable, and efficient machine learning solutions.

✅  You have...

- Proven experience as an AI research engineer, for example, in LLMs, multimodal modeling, speech, or related fields.
- Strong background in training and fine-tuning large models in an applied setting.
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field with a focus on machine learning or artificial intelligence, or equivalent experience.
- Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to lead and inspire a team.
- Technical depth sufficient to guide architecture and implementation trade‑offs, evolve quality standards, and mentor engineers on best practices.
- Deep understanding of machine learning concepts, frameworks, and best practices.

The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons. The posted range is subject to change in the future. For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!

Salary Range: $197,200—$266,800 USD

Benefits: Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits [here](https://careers.duolingo.com/#benefits).

Job Alerts: Sign up for job alerts [here](http://my.greenhouse.io/users/sign_in?job_board=duolingo).

Accommodations: We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact accommodations@duolingo.com.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Fraud Warning: Unfortunately, there is a rise in scammers pretending to be real Duolingo employees. Duolingo and our employees will never ask for your Social Security number, bank details, or passport info, and we’ll never ask you to deposit a check, purchase equipment, or exchange money during the interview process. Real Duolingo employees always use an email that ends in @duolingo.com or @recruiting.duolingo.com. Stay alert and double-check these details before sharing any information.

By applying for this position your data will be processed as per the[Duolingo Applicant Privacy Notice](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTX9GKeRMOMA9Vtm0vfGibrYPYz8ysl0Dg8KSXgj_PxeT5ChsdnNZZWtpxu4t7xillTPGnngnKCjIbV/pub).

## About Duolingo

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Duolingo is a gamified language-learning platform that makes education free, fun, and accessible to everyone, and is the most downloaded education app in history.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: DUOL)
- **Headquarters**: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (with offices in New York, NY and Seattle, WA)
- **Founded**: 2011
- **Founders**: Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry/Industries**: Education technology (EdTech), language learning, digital assessment
- **Target Customers**: B2C (individual learners of all ages, globally), B2B/B2G (institutions through the Duolingo English Test)
- **Mission**: “To develop the best education in the world and make it universally available.” [investors.duolingo.com](https://investors.duolingo.com/company-strategy-overview-0)

## Products & Services
- **Duolingo (main app)**: The core language-learning app offering 98 courses across nearly 40 languages. Freemium model (free with ads/limited hearts; paid Super Duolingo removes ads and adds unlimited hearts). Uses bite-sized, game-like lessons.
- **Duolingo English Test (DET)**: A web-based, high-stakes English proficiency exam accepted by 6,100+ institutions, including 98 of the top 100 U.S. universities. Provides a certified Duolingo Score.
- **Duolingo Math**: An app for elementary math and brain training (mental math).
- **Duolingo ABC**: An app teaching reading fundamentals to preschool through second-grade children.
- **Duolingo Score**: An in-app proficiency estimate (0–129) that aims to become the universal standard for language ability.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Approximately $16 B as of early 2025. [blog.duolingo.com](https://blog.duolingo.com/handbook/)
- **Key Metrics (as of Q4 2025)**:
  - 52.7 million daily active users (DAUs)
  - 133.1 million monthly active users (MAUs)
  - 12.2 million paid subscribers
  - 90%+ annual employee retention rate [investors.duolingo.com](https://investors.duolingo.com/company-strategy-overview-0)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Publicly traded; major institutional shareholders. Key partners include universities and institutions that accept the Duolingo English Test.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew to 850+ employees (up from ~800 in early 2025).
  - Massive AI investment: published 20,500 skills in language courses in Q1 2026 alone (up from 7,100/quarter in 2025).
  - Launched Video Call feature for real-time AI conversation practice with character Lily.
  - Expanding beyond language into Math and ABC apps.
  - DET acceptance grew to 6,100+ institutions.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Freemium model at massive scale**: Free product drives 500 M+ learners, generating unmatched data for efficacy improvements, while paid subscriptions fund the mission.
- **Gamification & design mastery**: “Make It Fun” principle turns learning into an addictive game, driving daily habit formation.
- **AI & data flywheel**: Runs 1,000+ A/B tests per quarter; uses learner data to continuously improve content, personalization, and outcomes.
- **Long-term thinking**: Culture of “Take the Long View” prioritizes retention and product quality over short-term tricks.
- **The Green Machine**: A proven, experiment-driven approach to building products that has produced consistent innovation.
- **Strong brand & quirky culture**: Wholesome but unhinged brand identity creates viral moments and deep user loyalty.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Growing users (reducing friction in free experience) and teaching better (AI-driven features, new subjects).
- **Becoming the proficiency standard**: Push the Duolingo Score as the universal metric for language ability, supported by the DET.
- **Expanding subjects**: Math, reading (ABC), and future courses beyond language.
- **AI investments**: Continue using AI/automation to rapidly create and improve course content (skills, Video Call, etc.).
- **Long-term**: Build a “100‑year company” that transforms global education.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Unique, quirky, and not copied from a tech playbook – built “from scratch by a few dozen nerds in an office above a sports bar.” Core principles: Take the Long View, Raise the Bar, Ship It, Show Don’t Tell, Make It Fun. [handbook.duolingo.com](https://handbook.duolingo.com/)
- **Work environment**: Hybrid – in-office Tuesday–Thursday (Pittsburgh, New York, Seattle), remote optional Monday and Friday. Offices designed to be “quirky and welcoming.” [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/duolingo)
- **Engineering excellence**: Lean, scrappy teams with high autonomy. Emphasis on rapid experimentation and “The Green Machine.” High bar for hiring but also “genuinely kind” people. 90%+ annual retention indicates strong employee satisfaction.
- **Impact**: Work on a product that reaches over half a billion learners worldwide, with a mission-driven focus on global education.
- **Perks**: Not fully detailed in provided sources, but the culture emphasizes long-term growth, continuous learning, and a supportive environment for generalists.

## Sources
1. [handbook.duolingo.com](https://handbook.duolingo.com/) – The Duolingo Handbook (company values, culture, Green Machine)
2. [careers.duolingo.com](https://careers.duolingo.com/) – Official careers page (mission, principles)
3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/duolingo) – Duolingo profile on Built In (offices, hybrid policy, tech stack, employee count)
4. [investors.duolingo.com](https://investors.duolingo.com/company-strategy-overview-0) – Company Strategy Overview (mission, pillars, key metrics, growth signals)
5. [blog.duolingo.com](https://blog.duolingo.com/handbook/) – Inside the Duolingo Handbook (valuation ~$16B, principles, culture details)

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