Research Scientist, Video Foundation Models

Cantina

. Research, develop, and scale native video and multimodal foundation models from early prototypes through large-scale pre-training, continued training, and post-training .

Posted 10/27/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $200,000 - $320,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in generative modeling and large-scale training of multimodal models, with a strong focus on model architecture, data curation, and evaluation. Proven ability to collaborate effectively and contribute to impactful research and open-source projects.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Generative ModelingLarge-Scale TrainingDeep Learning FrameworksModel ArchitectureData Curation

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Diffusion ModelsFlow MatchingVideo GenerationMultimodal ModelsWorld ModelsModel EvaluationControllable GenerationPost-TrainingModel AccelerationInference Systems

Soft Skills

CollaborationProblem-SolvingIndependent Ownership

Tools & Technologies

Distributed Training Systems

Industry Keywords

Research PublicationsOpen-Source ContributionsTechnical RoadmapModel ScalingExperiment Design

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Research, develop, and scale native video and multimodal foundation models from early prototypes through large-scale pre-training, continued training, and post-training
Explore new model architectures, training objectives, and conditioning mechanisms for video generation, reference- and memory-based generation, multimodal interaction, and joint audio-video generation
Build and improve large-scale data curation, distributed training, evaluation, and post-training pipelines
Design systematic experiments to understand model scaling, generation quality, controllability, consistency, robustness, and inference efficiency
Collaborate with researchers, engineers, and product teams to shape the technical roadmap and translate model advances into real-world capabilities
Contribute to research publications and open-source releases when appropriate

Requirements

What you’ll need

Strong research and engineering experience in generative modeling, including diffusion models, flow matching, DiTs, video generation, multimodal models, world models, or related fields
Hands-on experience training and evaluating large-scale image, video, or unified multimodal models using modern deep learning frameworks and distributed training systems
Strong track record of developing impactful models or systems, demonstrated through research publications, open-source contributions, production impact, or other significant technical work
Ability to independently own ambiguous research problems, move effectively from ideas to experiments, and work well in a highly collaborative environment
Specialized depth in one or more areas across the foundation model lifecycle, such as model architecture, data curation, controllable generation, multimodal understanding and conditioning, post-training and reward modeling, model acceleration, inference systems, or deployment

Benefits

Comp & perks

Generous company equity
Medical, dental, and vision insurance – 99.99% of premiums covered by Cantina
42 days of paid time off, including 15 PTO days, 10 sick days, 15 company holidays, and 2 floating holidays
Generous parental leave & fertility support
401(k) retirement savings plan
Lifestyle spending account – $500/month to use however you’d like
Complimentary lunch and snacks for in-office employees
One Medical membership