Applied AI Researcher – Hands on with LLMs & Risk

About the job

Calvin Risk is a Swiss-based start-up helping companies create and manage trustworthy AI that is aligned with humanity. Founded in 2022 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, the company is building the most advanced platform for assessing risks associated with AI in commercial use and managing them throughout the entire product lifecycle. The Calvin platform creates a much-needed framework for transparency, governance and standardization for enterprises to manage their AI portfolios, while ensuring that AI remains safe and compliant with the highest ethical standards and impending regulatory requirements.

This is an opportunity to join a start-up at its earliest stages as an NLP researcher to develop and refine AI risk quantification methodologies, with a focus on LLM based agents. As LLM agents take on more autonomous roles, the risks grow and we’re building the systems to keep them safe. Be part of an interdisciplinary team of technical and non-technical experts and experience a thriving, innovative, and collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Research and prototype methods to assess risks in agentic AI systems
• Stay up-to-date with the latest LLM tools, models, and libraries; rapidly integrate them into workflows
• Design practical solutions with an emphasis on implementation over publication
• Work closely with engineering teams to translate research into working systems
• Perform rigorous evaluations of model behaviour, safety, and reliability

Qualifications

• PhD in NLP, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Strong understanding of LLMs and transformer-based architectures
• Proven ability to rapidly prototype with modern ML toolkits (e.g., PyTorch, Hugging Face, JAX)
• Demonstrated hacker mindset, fast learner, hands-on, and self-directed
• Experience with safety, alignment, or risk analysis in AI systems is a plus
• Detail-oriented and implementation-focused — you care about what works, not just what reads well

We follow the REEEEF principle as our guideline to success: respect, efficiency, entrepreneurship, excellence, empathy, fun. We cherish character traits such as result orientation, a sense of responsibility, integrity, and passion. This is a no-ego, no-BS zone — and we’re committed to keeping it that way. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you are highly welcome at Calvin Risk!