Canva is looking for a Senior Research Engineer - Design Generation to sit at the boundary between research and production. You will explore new ideas in generative modeling and turn promising research into scalable systems that power our design experiences. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, solving complex problems and collaborating across teams to deliver meaningful outcomes.
What You'll Do
- Design, experiment with, and evaluate generative AI models for design-focused use cases.
- Translate research outcomes into scalable, production-ready systems.
- Collaborate closely with Product, Design, and Engineering partners to align research with user needs.
- Analyze model performance using both quantitative metrics and qualitative user signals.
- Contribute to technical discussions, architecture decisions, and long-term AI strategy.
- Share learnings through documentation, reviews, and internal presentations to uplift the broader team.
What We're Looking For
- Proficient in working with large language models (LLMs), diffusion models, and multimodal architectures to develop innovative solutions.
- Experienced in techniques such as fine-tuning, in-context learning, and reinforcement learning to optimize model performance.
- Skilled in leveraging tools like PyTorch, JAX, and HuggingFace for advanced research and experimentation.
- Capable of implementing experimental design strategies for generative models, using both quantitative metrics and qualitative analysis to assess outcomes.
- Experienced in rapid prototyping, conducting ablation studies, and tracking experiments to streamline research processes.
- Adept at managing and analyzing datasets for training and evaluating generative systems.
- Skilled at reproducing impactful papers and applying novel techniques to address emerging problem spaces.
Technical Stack
- PyTorch
- JAX
- HuggingFace
Team & Environment
You'll be joining the Design Generation group within Canva Research.
Benefits & Compensation
- Equity packages
- 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
Work Mode
This is a hybrid role based in Sydney.
We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture.
