Full-Time

Machine Learning Engineer

Institute of Foundation Models

Institute of Foundation Models

Researches and develops foundation models

No salary listed

Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

In Person

Bachelor's, Master's, PhD

Category
AI & Machine Learning (2)
,
Required Skills
TensorFlow
Neural Networks
Machine Learning
Computer Vision

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Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
  • 3 years of experience in software engineering, including experience with Machine Learning models, ML infrastructure, Natural Language Processing or Computer Vision.
  • 2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages, or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree in an industry setting.
  • 2 years of experience with data structures or algorithms in either an academic or industry setting.
  • 2 years of experience with machine learning algorithms and tools (e.g., TensorFlow), artificial intelligence, deep learning, or natural language processing.
  • Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills to address complex technical challenges.
  • Effective communication and collaboration skills to work with cross functional teams.
  • Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.
Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with Research teams to understand technologies, adapting and integrating them into codebase.
  • Develop and implement systems to support the lifecycle of machine learning models, such as data preprocessing, pre-training, post-training, evaluation and so on, especially foundation models.
  • Participate in or lead design reviews with peers and stakeholders to decide amongst available technologies.
  • Review code developed by other developers and provide feedback to ensure best practices (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency).
  • Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates and user feedback.
  • Triage product or system issues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues and the impact on hardware, network, or service operations and quality.
  • Contribute to research papers and represent MBZUAI at industry conferences and events, showcasing the institution’s cutting-edge HPC and deep learning capabilities and establishing MBZUAI as a global leader in AI research and innovation.
  • Perform all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.
Desired Qualifications
  • 2 years of experience with improving performance during large scale data processing
  • Hands-on experience with LLM algorithms, such as Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) and Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF).
  • Excellent data analysis skills.
Institute of Foundation Models

Institute of Foundation Models

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IFM builds and studies foundation models—large AI models designed to learn broadly from diverse data and be used across many tasks. Its work centers on academic research to create open, fast, and practical models that address real-world societal needs, rather than narrow applications. The models are developed by a global team across Abu Dhabi, Paris, and Silicon Valley, with a strong emphasis on openness and collaboration to advance AI science and accessibility. Unlike typical private labs that lock models behind paywalls, IFM aims to provide publicly accessible, efficient models that can be used by researchers and developers to solve real problems. The overarching goal is to push the science of foundation models forward while ensuring their benefits reach society at large.

Company Size

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Company Stage

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Total Funding

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Headquarters

United Arab Emirates

Founded

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • K2-V2 launched January 2026 as the UAE's first fully sovereign base model.
  • K2 Think V2 launched January 2026 on K2-V2, validating IFM's stack.
  • ICML 2026 booth recruiting signals active demand for researchers and engineers.

What critics are saying

  • OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic outspend IFM, compressing its talent-retention window.
  • K2-V2 depends on MBZUAI and UAE state priorities; policy shifts threaten funding.
  • If sovereign-model demand stalls, IFM becomes an academic lab without durable commercial leverage.

What makes Institute of Foundation Models unique

  • MBZUAI's IFM ships fully open K2-V2 with weights, data, and recipes.
  • Richard Morton says IFM is a sovereign AI factory for UAE systems.
  • Teams in Abu Dhabi, Paris, and Sunnyvale span research, engineering, and applied science.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Parental Leave

Employee Assistance Program

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

401(k) Plan

Wellness Program

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Hybrid Work Options

Stock Options

Company Equity