A Research and Technology (R&T;) scientist specializing in frontier AI and computer vision is responsible for discovering, developing and integrating innovative methodologies to address complex challenges in these fields and to translate related concepts into Thales solutions. He/she proves their viability through the implementation of Proofs of Concept (PoCs) and guides their maturity growth through prototypes and demonstrators that will in turn illustrate and enable their full business potential. The individual should quickly learn and assess new techniques and technologies in order to decide whether to adopt, adapt or discard them.

The individual must possess deep, hands-on technical skills and be familiar with computer vision and AI for computer vision research methods and tools . The candidate must demonstrate a strong understanding of the scientific method and his/her ability to deliver quality content at all steps of the research process, from the capability to summarize the theoretical background of a novel domain to the dissemination of research outputs through peer-review publications, patents or other means. She/he will contribute as a technical subject matter expert to Research and Technology projects across Thales and its business units.

AI/Computer Vision Research Scientist Key Responsibilities: Conduct research in computer vision, focusing on vision-language foundation models (VLMs, Ve-LLMs, and vision foundation models), image/video processing, efficient and training-free learning algorithms, and edge-optimized CV models. Design, adapt, and evaluate foundation models, vision-language models, and multimodal perception models for real-world use cases. Conduct pioneering research in frugal learning methods to adapt large-scale models using fine-tuning, few-shot learning, zero-shot learning, prompt tuning, LoRA, or other parameter-efficient techniques.

Translate state-of-the-art research into prototypes, demonstrators, and deployable AI components.



Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to translate research breakthroughs into deployable prototypes and production-ready systems. Work on problems of diverse scope to support the deployment of trustworthy and certifiable AI models in critical systems.

Publish research findings in relevant/top-tier conferences and journals, in AI and computer vision, and contribute to publishing innovation patents. Demonstrate excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Demonstrate good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining better solutions.

Develop excellent collaboration skills with academic or research organizations (e.g., and with industrial partners. Suggest, collect, and synthesize system requirements from stakeholders and contribute to shaping effective research and innovation roadmaps. D. or master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field with focus on computer vision, machine/deep learning and advanced AI models.

Solid theoretical knowledge and understanding of machine learning fundamentals, supervised/unsupervised learning, self-supervised learning, efficient and few-shot learning. Demonstrate experience in developing and deploying computer vision algorithms in either academic or industrial settings. Strong knowledge of deep learning architectures for computer vision such as CNNs, Transformers, recent foundation models and related techniques used in object detection, segmentation and recognition.

Solid experience in designing and executing experiments, refining models, optimization and data analysis.



Proficiency in programming languages such as Python and C++, and in using ML frameworks such as PyTorch, Tensorflow, and Scikit-learn, and OpenCV library. A track record of research publications in relevant AI and computer vision conferences and journals, such as NeurIPs, ICCV, ECCV, CVPR, AAAI, and PAMI.

Critical thinker with ability to communicating scientific work in a clear and effective manner. Strong written and verbal communication skills for effective collaboration and dissemination of research. Fluency in French and English (spoken and written).

This position requires a positive knowledge of English for writing technical documents, to interact, support and/or provide services to international clients, employees and/or partners as well as foreign government authorities who do not speak French. 2 to 5 years of research experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or similar fields. ~ Practical knowledge of MLOps, software packaging, library/SDK development, engineering validation processes, and production-ready AI solutions. ~ Physical Environment: mostly behind the desk environment (either in the office or remotely), occasionally on the field in an outdoor environment.

Travel: occasionally, for field trials, attending conferences and/or meetings with colleagues in other regions of the world (e.g. Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following: Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D;, Short-term Disability, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

Retirement Savings

Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period. Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.

Voluntary

Life, AD&D;, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

Employee

Discounts on insurance (home, and auto). #

📌 Applied AI Research Scientist / Scientifique-chercheur en IA Appliquée (Montreal)
🏢 Thales Canada
📍 Montreal