6 Senior Research Scientists jobs in South Africa

At Matter Labs, we believe freedom drives progress and prosperity. We don’t see ourselves as a company, but as a team aligned around a single mission: to advance personal freedom for all (see ZK Credo).

To achieve this goal, we’re building zkSync — a credibly neutral, fully open source technology stack and network on top of Ethereum, which is owned and governed by its community. We use advanced cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs to scale Ethereum infinitely without compromising on security or decentralization. With a world-class team, a community of over 1M supporters across Twitter + Discord, and hundreds of millions $ in funding, we have abundant resources to accomplish the mission.

The Role

We are looking for Research Scientists to join our Research Team. We are looking for accomplished researchers with a PhD in relevant areas of computer science interested in working on various aspects of the complex system that Matter Labs is building, including security, performance, networking, hardware, programming languages, program correctness, and various aspects of applied cryptography related to zero-knowledge proofs.

We expect you to have a track record of research in a relevant area and to be connected to both the academic community and industrial practice. Experience of working on other blockchain projects is a plus but not a requirement.

What You’ll Be Doing

• We expect you to be an expert in your field and to apply your knowledge and expertise to come up with solutions relevant to what Matter Labs is building.
• We expect you to work with both research scientists as well as engineers and engineering managers to get what you produce deployed.
• We expect you to be a member of the academic community and to read and possibly write papers, listen and possibly give presentations, in order to stay abreast of the most recent developments as they happen.

What We Look For In You

• Experience in one (or more) of the following areas: performance (distributed systems, runtimes, networking stack), security, verification and/or machine learning.
• A PhD in computer science or related discipline.
• A track record of research relevant to or deployed in an industrial setting.
• Ability and willingness to produce technical blogs, reports, and papers.
• Deep understanding of software engineering best-practices.
• Ownership mindset and a track record of successfully accomplished projects.
• In-depth knowledge of common algorithms, data structures, and their computational & memory complexities.
• Proven publication history.
• Experience implementing complex prototypes both from scratch and based on existing code bases.
• Ability to produce code that leads to industrial deployment.
• English is your native language or you are completely fluent.

Working at Matter Labs

At Matter Labs, you have the freedom to work how you want, when you want, and from where you want. All positions are 100% remote (with optional travel to team and/or industry events). We operate in lean and nimble teams, with no time tracking and minimum bureaucracy. We move fast. Only results matter. We will provide you with everything you need to learn, grow, and be productive.

Our results-only environment means anyone who believes in our mission can join us, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, and age. Both our team and community are made up of people from diverse backgrounds. That’s why, out of politeness and respect, we refrain from opinions on politics, religion, or sex at the workplace.

We designed our culture around the tenants of freedom and ownership. This ethos will underpin our positive-sum community as we evolve toward full decentralization.

If this role resonates with you, apply now for prompt feedback.

Important: We are remote-first, operating in the timezones between UTC-5 (Latam and Atlantic Coast) to UTC+7 (South-East Asia). While we’re currently not hiring in the US, we do consider US-based applicants willing to relocate.

Zindi, based in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, is seeking a Product Research Scientist, Lelapa AI . Lelapa AI is building a localized African AI lab focused on language technologies for Africans, by Africans. Our team across Africa, Europe, and North America aims to advance AI research, product development, and innovation to benefit African communities.

About the Role

We face the challenge of developing NLP models for low-resourced African languages, which require data-efficient and resource-efficient solutions. The Product Research Scientist will research, build, and improve multilingual African language models for NLP tasks such as transcription and translation.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize NLP models for African languages, including speech recognition, sentiment analysis, and machine translation.
• Perform error analysis and understand model failures with the help of language experts.
• Develop evaluation frameworks and monitor models in production.
• Collaborate with data teams and linguists for data collection, cleaning, and annotation.
• Translate research into practical NLP applications in collaboration with product teams.
• Document research findings and present to stakeholders.
• Stay updated with advancements in NLP and machine learning.

Skills & Qualifications

• Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, NLP, or related field (Masters preferred).
• 2-3 years experience in Data Science or AI products.
• Proficiency in Python, TensorFlow or PyTorch, and NLP libraries like HuggingFace.
• Experience working in fast-paced startup environments.
• Passion for addressing linguistic and cultural challenges in Africa.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of Responsible AI and ML limitations.

Preferred

• Knowledge of African languages and NLP projects in African contexts.
• Experience with MLOps tools and low-resource language techniques.
• Publications in NLP.

Benefits

• Remote-friendly work arrangements.
• Opportunity to innovate in AI for African languages.
• Medical aid, parental leave, 25 days vacation, and impact on product roadmap.

Remuneration

R 50,000 - R 80,000 per month, depending on experience.

• Mid-Senior level

• Full-time

• Other
• IT Services and IT Consulting

• Model Development: Design, develop, and optimise NLP models tailored to African languages, dialects, and linguistic characteristics for real-world applications. This includes tasks such as language modelling, speech recognition, sentiment analysis, machine translation, and more.
• Model Diagnostics:
• Dig deep into Model Success & Failures:
• Perform error analysis (with the help of language experts) to understand where the models might be failing
• Develop processes, frameworks for understanding model failures in detail.
• Discover insights for researchers to improve their modes.
• Incorporate model explainability and interpretability metrics into the evaluations.
• Evaluation and Testing: Design and implement rigorous testing and evaluation frameworks to assess the performance and effectiveness of NLP models and products across various African languages. Contribute to continuous monitoring and analysis of models in production.
• Data Acquisition and Annotation: Collaborate with data team and linguists to curate and preprocess linguistic data specific to African languages. Develop strategies for data collection, cleaning, and annotation.
• Product Design: Work closely with the product team to translate research findings into practical, user-friendly NLP applications and tools that address real-world problems faced by Africans. Work with the product team to integrate updates and feedback into models to improve models. Iterate quickly on base models to supply product demos with finetuned models according to client domains.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineers, designers, and product managers, to integrate NLP solutions into our products and ensure seamless user experiences.
• Documentation and Communication: Document research findings, methodologies, and algorithms. Present research findings and progress updates to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Keep published model’s datasheets and model cards up to date.
• Continuous Learning: Stay current with advancements in NLP, machine learning, and related fields. Attend conferences, workshops, and seminars to enhance practice.
  
  

• Degree in Data Science Computer Science, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, or a related field is preferred (Masters level preferred)
• 2-3 years experience working in Data Science and/or on real-world AI products.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python and experience with deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch and NLP libraries such as HuggingFace.
• Experience or excitement for working in fast-paced startup environments and ability to manage competing priorities
• Passion for leveraging technology to address linguistic and cultural challenges to drive positive impact in Africa
• Comfortability with detailed error analysis for real-world use cases
• High attention to detail
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to think critically, be self-driven and break down hard problems
• Knowledge on Responsible AI and the limitations of machine learning
• Familiarity with Agile processes.
  
  

• Knowledge of African languages.
• Experience in working on NLP projects in African contexts.
• Experience with utilising MLOps tools and models in production
• Strong background in NLP research and development, with a focus on language modeling, speech recognition, sentiment analysis, machine ranslation, or similar areas.
• A strong understanding of techniques for working with low-resourced languages (e.g. transfer learning, few shot learning, active learning)
• Publications in NLP
  
  

• Flexible work arrangements with remote-friendly policies
• Opportunity to drive research innovation in a high-growth AI startup
• Medical aid contribution
• Substantial parental leave.
• Work with cutting-edge AI technologies focused on African languages and use cases
• 25 days of vacation leave
• Direct impact on product roadmap and technology decisions
  
  

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Date Posted: 04/25/2025
Req ID: 42677
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Acceleration Consortium
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (U of T) is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization. The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs). These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy and consumer electronics to drugs. AC Staff Research Scientists will advance the field of AI-driven autonomous discovery and develop the materials and molecules required to address society’s largest challenges, such as climate change, water pollution, and future pandemics.

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) promotes an inclusive research environment and supports the EDI priorities of the unit.

Hiring is occurring on a rolling intake. Please apply ASAP and do not wait for the listed job closing date.

The Acceleration Consortium received a$200M Canadian First Research Excellence Grantf or seven years to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University. This grant will provide the Acceleration Consortium with seven years of funding to execute its vision

The AC is developing seven advanced SDLs plus an AI and Automation lab:

• SDL1 - Inorganic solid-state compounds for advanced materials and energy
• SDL2 - Organic small molecules for sustainability and health
• SDL3 - Medicinal chemistry for improving small molecule drug candidates
• SDL4 - Polymers for materials science and biological applications
• SDL5 - Formulations for pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and coatings
• SDL6 - Biocompatibility with organoids / organ-on-a-chip
• SDL7 - Synthetic scale-up of materials and molecules (University of British Colombia partner lab)
• A central AI and Automation lab to support all the SDLs

This posted position is for a role with SDL2 (Organic Small Molecules)

We seek a scientist to develop ML-driven tools for accelerating organic synthesis and novel material discovery. The role involves leveraging cheminformatics and generative models to design molecules, predict reaction pathways, and optimize materials for applications in sustainability, healthcare, or energy.

Expertise that is desired: Cheminformatics and Machine Learning

• Demonstrated development or application of machine learning tools to address chemical problems, including but not limited to: property prediction, reaction prediction, condition optimization, retrosynthesis, interpretable machine learning, nature language processing for data-mining and human-robot interfacing,and generative models (e.g. GANs, VAE, and diffusion models) for de novo molecular design.
• Proven experience in cheminformatics pipelines using tools such as RDKit, various molecular representation and encoding methods (SMILES, SELFIES, graph-based models), QSAR, virtual screening, or molecular docking/simulations. Knowledge in quantum chemistry calculations and molecule dynamics.

Additional expertise that is desired (but not required): General Programming

• Dataset curation, database management, and data-mining skills
• Computational chemistry pipelines, and physics-informed material discovery

Additional expertise that is desired (but not required): Organic Chemistry

• Basic understanding of organic chemistry
• Collaborative experience with experimental chemists on synthetic organic chemistry or catalyst development projects.

Staff Scientists will work with a diverse team of leading experts at U of T, including Faculty Prof. Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Prof. Sophie Rousseaux,and Acceleration Consortium Staff Scientists Dr. Han Hao, Dr. Xiaoman Guo, Dr. Yang Cao, and Dr. Eric Isbrandt; as well as the broader Acceleration Consortium team.

The Staff Scientists involved in the AC are highly skilled and experienced researchers who will work independently to develop the AI and automation technologies required to build robust and scalable self-driving labs, manage these SDLs, and design and implement research programs (based on the direction of the AC’s scientific leadership team) that leverage the SDL platforms to discover materials and molecules. Moreover, the Staff Scientists will work collectively, sharing knowledge among each other, and with faculty, and trainees. This role will report to the Academic Director and Executive Director of the Acceleration Consortium.

The components and duties of the work can include:

• SDL and Automation Development

Working with the AC community, including faculty and partners, to determine the required capabilities of the SDLs to be built. Developing the plans for SDLs that will meet user requirements and designing novel instruments for automated material synthesis and characterization. Developing customized hardware and Python software packages to build SDLs. Selecting, procurement, and installation of the equipment required for SDLs.

• Research Direction

Develop research programs that leverage the AC’s SDLs and support the research objectives of AC faculty and industry partners. Using SDLs to synthesize and characterize large quantities of candidate molecules, calibrating theoretical models with experimental data, predicting promising candidates with computational tools and machine learning algorithms, and elucidating structure-property relationships of emerging molecules, polymers, solid-state materials, formulations, etc.

Tasks include:

• Implementing research and development projects of AC’s industry partners when implemented in AC labs.
• Developing plans that support research collaborations and planning and estimating financial resources required for programs and/or projects.
• Working with Product Managers to ensure research outcomes meet partner requirements.
• Promoting AC’s research capacity, including delivering presentations at conferences.
• Collaboration in the preparation and submission of research proposals to granting agencies and progress reporting.
• Preparing manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed publications/journals and stewarding them through the process.
• Other
  • Supporting consulting services related to the application of SDLs for materials discovery for the AC’s partners.
  • Support research-focused events such as the Annual Symposium

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education – Ph.D. inchemistry, materials science, life sciences, physics, engineering, robotics, computer science, applied mathematicsor related discipline

Experience

• 1 to 5 years of experience (inclusive of PhD and/or post-graduate work)in accelerated R&D in the area of cheminformaticsand molecule design.
• Experience working with industry partners and on industry lead research and development projects.
• Expert knowledge of AI and automation and experience with the development of self-driving laboratories
• Experience presenting research at academic conferences.

Skills

• Strong and effective communicator in oral and written English
• Collegial in working with team members and collaborators.
• Ability to work independently.

Other

• Must have a strong publication record.
• Demonstrated success in the writing and preparation of manuscripts, presentations, reports, briefs, and scientific abstracts and manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority

Closing Date: 08/31/2025, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Research Associate
Appointment Type : Grant - Term
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: R01 -- Research Associates (Limited Term): $2,574 - 98,576, salary will be assessed based on skills and experience
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building aculture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectivelyaddress and serve the interests of our global community. Westrongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples,Black and racialized persons, women, persons withdisabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities.We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment toequity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverseperspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential tostrengthening our academic mission.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see .

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact .

Press Tab to Move to Skip to Content Link

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Date Posted: 04/25/2025
Req ID: 42677
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Acceleration Consortium
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (U of T) is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization. The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs). These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy and consumer electronics to drugs. AC Staff Research Scientists will advance the field of AI-driven autonomous discovery and develop the materials and molecules required to address society’s largest challenges, such as climate change, water pollution, and future pandemics.

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) promotes an inclusive research environment and supports the EDI priorities of the unit.

Hiring is occurring on a rolling intake. Please apply ASAP and do not wait for the listed job closing date.

The Acceleration Consortium received a$200M Canadian First Research Excellence Grantf or seven years to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University. This grant will provide the Acceleration Consortium with seven years of funding to execute its vision

The AC is developing seven advanced SDLs plus an AI and Automation lab:

• SDL1 - Inorganic solid-state compounds for advanced materials and energy
• SDL2 - Organic small molecules for sustainability and health
• SDL3 - Medicinal chemistry for improving small molecule drug candidates
• SDL4 - Polymers for materials science and biological applications
• SDL5 - Formulations for pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and coatings
• SDL6 - Biocompatibility with organoids / organ-on-a-chip
• SDL7 - Synthetic scale-up of materials and molecules (University of British Colombia partner lab)
• A central AI and Automation lab to support all the SDLs

This posted position is for a role with SDL2 (Organic Small Molecules)

We seek a scientist to develop ML-driven tools for accelerating organic synthesis and novel material discovery. The role involves leveraging cheminformatics and generative models to design molecules, predict reaction pathways, and optimize materials for applications in sustainability, healthcare, or energy.

Expertise that is desired: Cheminformatics and Machine Learning

• Demonstrated development or application of machine learning tools to address chemical problems, including but not limited to: property prediction, reaction prediction, condition optimization, retrosynthesis, interpretable machine learning, nature language processing for data-mining and human-robot interfacing,and generative models (e.g. GANs, VAE, and diffusion models) for de novo molecular design.
• Proven experience in cheminformatics pipelines using tools such as RDKit, various molecular representation and encoding methods (SMILES, SELFIES, graph-based models), QSAR, virtual screening, or molecular docking/simulations. Knowledge in quantum chemistry calculations and molecule dynamics.

Additional expertise that is desired (but not required): General Programming

• Dataset curation, database management, and data-mining skills
• Computational chemistry pipelines, and physics-informed material discovery

Additional expertise that is desired (but not required): Organic Chemistry

• Basic understanding of organic chemistry
• Collaborative experience with experimental chemists on synthetic organic chemistry or catalyst development projects.

Staff Scientists will work with a diverse team of leading experts at U of T, including Faculty Prof. Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Prof. Sophie Rousseaux,and Acceleration Consortium Staff Scientists Dr. Han Hao, Dr. Xiaoman Guo, Dr. Yang Cao, and Dr. Eric Isbrandt; as well as the broader Acceleration Consortium team.

The Staff Scientists involved in the AC are highly skilled and experienced researchers who will work independently to develop the AI and automation technologies required to build robust and scalable self-driving labs, manage these SDLs, and design and implement research programs (based on the direction of the AC’s scientific leadership team) that leverage the SDL platforms to discover materials and molecules. Moreover, the Staff Scientists will work collectively, sharing knowledge among each other, and with faculty, and trainees. This role will report to the Academic Director and Executive Director of the Acceleration Consortium.

The components and duties of the work can include:

• SDL and Automation Development

Working with the AC community, including faculty and partners, to determine the required capabilities of the SDLs to be built. Developing the plans for SDLs that will meet user requirements and designing novel instruments for automated material synthesis and characterization. Developing customized hardware and Python software packages to build SDLs. Selecting, procurement, and installation of the equipment required for SDLs.

• Research Direction

Develop research programs that leverage the AC’s SDLs and support the research objectives of AC faculty and industry partners. Using SDLs to synthesize and characterize large quantities of candidate molecules, calibrating theoretical models with experimental data, predicting promising candidates with computational tools and machine learning algorithms, and elucidating structure-property relationships of emerging molecules, polymers, solid-state materials, formulations, etc.

Tasks include:

• Implementing research and development projects of AC’s industry partners when implemented in AC labs.
• Developing plans that support research collaborations and planning and estimating financial resources required for programs and/or projects.
• Working with Product Managers to ensure research outcomes meet partner requirements.
• Promoting AC’s research capacity, including delivering presentations at conferences.
• Collaboration in the preparation and submission of research proposals to granting agencies and progress reporting.
• Preparing manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed publications/journals and stewarding them through the process.
• Other
  • Supporting consulting services related to the application of SDLs for materials discovery for the AC’s partners.
  • Support research-focused events such as the Annual Symposium

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education – Ph.D. inchemistry, materials science, life sciences, physics, engineering, robotics, computer science, applied mathematicsor related discipline

Experience

• 1 to 5 years of experience (inclusive of PhD and/or post-graduate work)in accelerated R&D in the area of cheminformaticsand molecule design.
• Experience working with industry partners and on industry lead research and development projects.
• Expert knowledge of AI and automation and experience with the development of self-driving laboratories
• Experience presenting research at academic conferences.

Skills

• Strong and effective communicator in oral and written English
• Collegial in working with team members and collaborators.
• Ability to work independently.

Other

• Must have a strong publication record.
• Demonstrated success in the writing and preparation of manuscripts, presentations, reports, briefs, and scientific abstracts and manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority

Closing Date: 08/31/2025, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Research Associate
Appointment Type : Grant - Term
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: R01 -- Research Associates (Limited Term): $2,574 - 98,576, salary will be assessed based on skills and experience
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building aculture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectivelyaddress and serve the interests of our global community. Westrongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples,Black and racialized persons, women, persons withdisabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities.We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment toequity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverseperspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential tostrengthening our academic mission. As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see . Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact . #J-18808-Ljbffr