Research Lead, Tinker, Fine-tuning Science

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From Thinking Machines Lab’s original posting

ABOUT THINKING MACHINES The mission of Thinking Machines is to build AI that extends human will and judgment. We are training frontier models with Inkling, developing Tinker to let people make models their own, and crafting interfaces that broaden human-AI communication. We believe the future worth building is human, and we're hiring people who want to build it. ABOUT THE ROLE At Thinking Machines we build tools that enable people to make AI their own, customizing models to serve their unique needs. This includes the ability to train model weights. You'll lead the Fine-tuning Science team, setting the research agenda for frontier customization techniques and for Tinker, the leading post-training engine. This is a player-coach role: you'll stay hands-on in the science while growing the team, shaping its direction, and making sure findings ship into Tinker. You'll work closely with our internal research teams, contribute to open science, and engage with external users. WHAT YOU’LL DO In this role, you'll advance the science of fine-tuning and frontier post-training techniques. You’ll: - Set the research agenda: choose the problems, place the bets, and own the roadmap for pushing…