Clinical Research Scientist
Job Location:
San Francisco, CA - USA
Monthly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
Position Title: Clinical Research Scientist Mental Health AI
Location: San Francisco CA (Onsite)
Salary: $140K - $185K Equity
Visa: Yes (OPT H1B transfers)
Relocation Assistance: Yes
About the Role
As individuals increasingly turn to AI for emotional support health information and guidance during moments of distress ensuring these systems respond safely and ethically is critical. Many high-stakes risks emerge across multi-turn conversationsincluding missed signs of escalating distress reinforcement of harmful beliefs diagnostic overreach and unhealthy emotional dependence.
Our client is seeking a Clinical Research Scientist to help lead and expand their groundbreaking work evaluating AI systems in mental health and clinically sensitive settings. In this role you will work side-by-side with research teams and software engineers to build clinically grounded benchmarks realistic multi-turn scenarios scoring criteria and validation studies.
This role is ideal for a Clinical Psychologist Psychiatrist or Clinical Scientist who wants to shape the future of AI safety and evaluation while maintaining active academic and clinical impact.
What Youll Do
Lead Clinical Evaluation Design: Define what safe and unsafe model behavior looks like across mental health and sensitive domains.
Identify Failure Modes: Translate clinical risks into realistic multi-turn test scenarios and objective scoring criteria.
Validate Methodology: Design validation studies including clinician reviews inter-rater reliability assessments and comparisons with real-world interaction data.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with engineers and technical researchers to implement clinical benchmarks at scale.
Drive Research & Publishing: Analyze model behavior publish peer-reviewed findings and help shape the clients broader AI safety research agenda.
What Were Looking For
Education: PhD PsyD or MD in Clinical Psychology Behavioral Science Psychiatry or a closely related field (Postdocs and early-career professionals welcome).
Research Experience: 1 years of clinical mental health research experience with a track record of peer-reviewed publications.
Methodological Rigor: Strong background in empirical research study design quantitative/psychometric methods and scientific writing.
Digital Health/AI Context: Recent research or exposure to digital mental health AI or Large Language Models (LLMs) is highly preferred.
Youth/Adolescent Focus: Experience with adolescent or youth mental health populations is a significant plus.
Onsite Presence: Ability to work onsite in San Francisco 45 days per week.
What Our Client Offers
High Impact & Ownership: Direct influence over the trajectory of mental health AI evaluation.
Competitive Compensation: $140K$185K base salary meaningful equity title flexibility based on experience.
Relocation & Commute: Dedicated relocation package and transportation support.
Comprehensive Perks: Full medical/dental coverage unlimited PTO and daily lunch dinner snacks and coffee onsite.
Visa Support: Open to visa transfers for qualified candidates.
