Biometrics and AI Research Engineer

Location: Pasadena, United States of America

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billions of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Biometrics and AI Research Engineer

Pasadena CA, Hybrid

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

Must be a U.S. Person as defined in applicable law, or otherwise authorized or eligible for authorization, to access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

Position Summary

As a Biometrics and AI Research Engineer in our Pasadena, California-based biometrics research organization, you will be working at the intersection of scientific innovation and advanced software engineering. You will translate cutting-edge research into scalable software solutions while influencing technical direction across research initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams, and contributing to the long-term technology strategy of our biometric platforms. This position requires deep technical expertise, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to solve complex technical challenges with significant business impact

Key Areas of Responsibility

Research & Innovation

• Design and execute sophisticated experiments utilizing large-scale biometric datasets to evaluate algorithm accuracy, robustness, fairness, security, and operational performance.
• Research, evaluate, and implement state-of-the-art machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and signal processing techniques applicable to biometric recognition systems.
• Benchmark internal technologies against published research, commercial solutions, and industry evaluations to identify opportunities for advancement.
• Identify emerging trends in biometrics, artificial intelligence, and adjacent technologies, recommending adoption where appropriate.

Software Engineering

• Develop high-quality, secure, production-oriented software prototypes and research tools using modern software engineering practices.
• Design reusable software components supporting biometric acquisition, feature extraction, matching, fusion, evaluation, and performance analysis.
• Champion software quality through code reviews, automated testing, version control, and secure coding methodologies.
• Collaborate with software engineering teams to transition research innovations into scalable production solutions.
• Make architectural recommendations that influence biometric system design, software frameworks, and algorithm integration.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with scientists, software engineers, systems engineers, product management, and program teams to align research priorities with customer and business objectives.
• Provide technical leadership during system integration, ensuring algorithm performance meets operational and customer requirements.
• Support proposal efforts, technology demonstrations, customer engagements, and technical evaluations.

Technical Influence

• Prepare technical publications, invention disclosures, patents, conference papers, and customer presentations supporting organizational innovation.
• Represent the organization at technical conferences, industry working groups, and customer engagements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, or related technical discipline with 5+ years of relevant industry experience;
• Demonstrated experience leading development of advanced biometric or AI-based technologies from research through implementation.
• Strong background in machine learning, computer vision, pattern recognition, statistical modeling, or signal processing.
• At least 4 years developing software applications using C/C++ and Python.
• Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, ONNX Runtime, OpenVINO, TensorRT, or similar machine learning frameworks.
• Prior experience with biometric applications
• Hands on experience designing experiments, analyzing large datasets, and interpreting statistical performance metrics.
• Strong understanding of software engineering best practices, secure coding, testing methodologies, and source control.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Applied Mathematics, or related discipline.
• Experience developing large-scale biometric identification or authentication systems.
• Expertise in deep learning architectures including CNNs, Vision Transformers (ViT), Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), diffusion models, and multimodal AI.
• Experience optimizing AI models for GPU and edge deployment using CUDA, OpenCL, or equivalent technologies.
• Experience with biometric standards (ISO/IEC 19794, NIST evaluations, FRVT, MINEX, IREX, FpVTE, etc.).
• Knowledge of adversarial machine learning, presentation attack detection (PAD), liveness detection, or biometric security.
• Demonstrated history of technical publications, patents, or conference presentations.
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical project teams.

If you're excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

Special Position Requirements

Travel: 10%

Why Join Us?

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This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with [a] criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal law, state law, and local ordinances.

Thales champions inclusion and we believe diversity strengthens the fabric of our culture. Thales is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans.

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The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

Total Target Cash (TTC) 136,734.45 - 227,890.75 USD Annual

This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including - but not limited to - the employee's career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company's annual salary budget, the customer's program requirements, and the company's internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's status protected by local, state, or federal law.

(For Internal candidate, if you need more information, please raise HR request through MyThales)

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 30 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance

Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period

Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off

Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program