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A typical Tuesday: reading two new papers in the morning, running experiments to test whether a modification to an existing method improves results, writing up your findings in a research document. Progress is slow and uncertain — a week of experiments might produce one interesting data point.
Levels.fyi / BLS, 2025
PhD in CS, ML, or Mathematics
6–8 years (BS + PhD) or 5–6 years (BS + MS + industry)
Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics
Years to Senior: 5–8 years
Lateral moves: ML Engineer, Professor, VP of AI
Research internships at companies like Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Meta FAIR, or Microsoft Research are highly competitive. Start with undergrad research at your university — strong research experience + publications open doors.
Extremely competitive but well-compensated. Demand far outstrips the supply of PhD-level researchers.
Salary and outlook data is approximate and varies by location, company, and experience.