X, The Moonshot Factory · 21 hours ago
2026 PhD Residency, Computer Vision (Tapestry)
Mountain View, CA
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad
$109K/yr - $150K/yrX, The Moonshot Factory is focused on pioneering technologies at the intersection of AI and energy systems. They are seeking a PhD resident to apply Vision-Language Models to enhance the understanding of electrical infrastructure and automate defect detection, contributing to a more resilient global power grid.
AerospaceAugmented RealityAutomotiveRobotics
Responsibilities
Lead the curation and high-quality labeling of specialized datasets focusing on electrical assets and complex infrastructure defects
Design and execute rigorous evaluation frameworks to benchmark Vision-Language Model performance on domain-specific imagery
Partner with research scientists to fine-tune state-of-the-art models, improving their ability to reason about physical infrastructure
Analyze and visualize model performance bottlenecks to drive iterative improvements in image understanding
Support the exploration of model distillation techniques to bring advanced research capabilities toward real-world deployment
Collaborate across engineering and research teams to integrate vision insights into the core Tapestry digital twin
Qualification
Required
Currently pursuing a PhD or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field with a focus on machine learning
Strong foundational knowledge in deep learning, particularly within the domains of computer vision and natural language processing
Proficiency in Python and experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow
Practical experience managing, preprocessing, and analyzing large-scale image datasets for research projects
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both specialized researchers and general engineering partners
A curious, research-first mindset with a drive to see theoretical models solve tangible, physical-world problems
Preferred
Direct experience working with Vision-Language Models or multi-modal architectures
Exposure to large-scale distributed training environments and data pipelines
A portfolio of peer-reviewed publications, significant open-source contributions, or innovative research projects
A creative approach to problem-solving when faced with sparse or noisy real-world data
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Competitive residency stipend and housing relocation support for the duration of the program
Direct mentorship from industry-leading research scientists and engineers
Opportunity to work on "moonshot" problems with access to Alphabet-scale compute and resources
Company
X, The Moonshot Factory
X, the moonshot factory invents and launches breakthrough technologies and radical solutions. It is a sub-organization of Alphabet.
Founded in 2010
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Helen Riley
COO/CFO of X, The Moonshot Factory (aka Google X)
Artem Goncharuk
Director of Engineering
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