About the Role

At Canva, we’re building a future powered by AI that’s as magical as it is impactful. As a Staff Research Scientist, you’ll shape that future by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with foundational models and leading research that translates into practical, scalable impact. This role blends hands-on model development with strategic research leadership — from exploring new architectures to influencing product direction through scientific breakthroughs.

You’ll operate at the intersection of innovation and impact, helping set our long-term AI research agenda while ensuring our work lands in the hands of millions of users around the world.

What you’ll do

• Lead high-impact research initiatives that drive the development of foundational models across Canva’s AI domains
• Design and execute experiments to validate hypotheses, optimize model behavior, and measure real-world performance
• Translate theoretical research and papers into robust, production-ready implementations
• Develop novel model architectures and training methodologies that advance state-of-the-art outcomes
• Partner closely with ML Engineers to scale models and integrate them into Canva’s product ecosystem
• Shape our research roadmap by identifying emerging trends, technologies, and open challenges
• Share your knowledge internally through documentation and cross-team collaborations, and externally through papers or talks where appropriate

Who you are:

You’re someone who thrives in ambiguity, loves connecting deep research with product application, and has a proven track record of driving scientific and technical excellence at scale. You can balance the long-term vision with practical delivery — influencing roadmaps, mentoring others, and making bold research bets when needed.

We’re looking for someone who brings:

• Deep & demonstrated expertise in machine learning and foundational model development -particularly in areas like LLMs, vision-language models, generative AI, or multi-modal systems
• Experience in developing and deploying generative AI models for video synthesis and audio generation
• A strong publication record or evidence of research impact in industry
• Experience owning research strategy and execution end-to-end — from problem formulation through to real-world deployment
• Proficiency in turning complex theoretical ideas into something tangible, and evaluating them with rigor
• Collaborative mindset — you work exceptionally well with engineers, product teams, and other researchers

What you’ll learn and how you’ll grow

• Deep involvement in Canva’s long-term AI strategy and foundational model direction
• Opportunities to mentor and level up our research community
• Exposure to product impact at truly global scale (we’re talking hundreds of millions of users)
• Dedicated time for self-driven research exploration and experimentation

What's in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a range of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.

Here's a taste of what's on offer:

• Equity packages - we want our success to be yours too
• Health benefits plans to support you and your wellbeing
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution
• Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good, take time to recharge and supports you personally

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more information.

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills, merit and business needs, in compliance with applicable local laws. We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you!

When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process. Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.

At Canva, we value fairness, and we strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation whilst ensuring internal equity within the team in each region. The target base salary range for this position is $280,000 - $330,000. When calculating offers, we make salary decisions based on market data, your experience levels, and internal benchmarks of your peers in the same domain and job level.

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora,你好, hallo, vítejte!

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Where and how you can work

Our head office is in Sydney, Australia, but San Francisco is now home to our US operations. The role is listed as hybrid, meaning we are incredibly flexible and empower you to work where you prefer - whether that's at home or at the office.