Applied Researcher – All Levels

Come, Innovate, Build, Disrupt & Thrive! KēSTA I.T. is seeking talented, innovative, and results-driven Applied Researchers at all experience levels to join a cutting-edge research and development team focused on advancing immersive 3D streaming technologies. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of computer graphics, machine learning, spatial computing, and real-time rendering while helping bring next-generation AR/VR experiences to mobile devices.

Position Overview

As an Applied Researcher, you will research, develop, and implement innovative techniques for representing, compressing, and streaming complex 3D content, with a particular emphasis on Gaussian splatting, radiance fields, and efficient rendering for resource-constrained mobile devices. This is a highly hands-on, application-focused research position where you will transform emerging academic research into practical, production-ready solutions. You will collaborate closely with rendering engineers, cloud infrastructure teams, and content processing specialists to develop scalable, high-performance spatial streaming technologies.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise, strong software engineering capabilities, and a passion for solving complex challenges in computer graphics. Success in this role requires an ownership mindset, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to translate theoretical advancements into measurable real-world results.

Work Location

Fully Remote

Experience Level

Multiple Levels – Based on Qualifications and Experience

Applied Research & Innovation

• Conduct advanced applied research in 3D content representation, compression, and streaming, emphasizing Gaussian splatting and radiance field technologies.
• Investigate and adapt emerging research in novel view synthesis, differentiable rendering, photogrammetry, and machine learning for computer graphics.
• Identify opportunities to advance existing techniques and develop innovative solutions that improve rendering quality, performance, and efficiency.
• Research solutions for complex spatial computing challenges, including animated 3D content, real-time relighting, augmented reality integration, and open-world virtual reality environments.

Algorithm Development & Performance Optimization

• Design, develop, and evaluate algorithms for spatial data optimization, compression, and adaptive streaming.
• Optimize rendering and streaming performance based on network conditions, device capabilities, and mobile hardware limitations.
• Develop efficient solutions for delivering high-quality immersive experiences on low-power AR/VR devices.
• Evaluate technical approaches through experimentation, benchmarking, and performance analysis.

Prototyping & Production Implementation

• Rapidly develop proofs of concept to validate research findings and emerging technologies.
• Translate complex research papers and theoretical concepts into functional software implementations.
• Advance successful prototypes into robust, maintainable, production-ready code.
• Contribute directly to the development and continuous improvement of the end-to-end spatial streaming pipeline.

Cross-Functional Engineering Collaboration

• Partner with rendering engineers to establish optimized data formats, rendering pipelines, and performance requirements.
• Collaborate with cloud and content processing engineers to build scalable, automated workflows for converting diverse user inputs, including photogrammetry and 3D models, into optimized streaming formats.
• Work across engineering disciplines to ensure seamless integration of research advancements into production systems.
• Clearly communicate research findings, technical recommendations, and implementation strategies to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

Education & Research Experience

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related quantitative discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated experience conducting advanced research in computer graphics, spatial computing, machine learning for graphics, photogrammetry, or related technical disciplines.
• Strong understanding of modern 3D rendering pipelines, graphics algorithms, and spatial representation techniques.
• Proven ability to evaluate, understand, and implement complex academic research in practical software applications.

Technical Skills

• Excellent programming proficiency in Python and C++.
• Experience developing and optimizing high-performance algorithms and software solutions.
• Strong understanding of performance optimization techniques for resource-constrained computing environments.
• Ability to rapidly prototype, test, refine, and implement technically complex solutions.
• Demonstrated success translating research concepts into functional, production-oriented code.

Professional Competencies

• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and technical troubleshooting abilities.
• Results-oriented mindset with an emphasis on delivering measurable outcomes.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving startup environment with changing priorities and technical ambiguity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with globally distributed engineering teams.
• High degree of initiative, accountability, and ownership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with 3D Gaussian Splatting, Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), or other emerging spatial representation technologies.
• Published research advancing the state of the art in radiance fields, photogrammetry, machine learning for graphics, or real-time rendering.
• Publications or recognized contributions to leading conferences or journals, including: SIGGRAPH, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, NeurIPS, ICML.
• Experience developing algorithms for 3D content compression, adaptive streaming, or novel view synthesis.
• Familiarity with real-time rendering and optimization techniques for mobile AR/VR hardware.
• Experience with animated spatial content, real-time relighting, or immersive virtual environments.
• Previous experience transitioning research prototypes into production software systems.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

Fully remote position supporting collaboration with a globally distributed research and engineering organization. Requires effective communication and coordination across remote teams and technical disciplines. Work involves extended periods of computer-based research, programming, software development, and virtual collaboration. Ability to independently manage priorities, research initiatives, and technical deliverables in a dynamic development environment.

Available Benefits

• Fully remote work environment.
• Opportunity to contribute to emerging technologies at the forefront of spatial computing and immersive streaming.
• Collaborative, research-driven engineering culture.
• Exposure to advanced computer graphics, machine learning, and AR/VR technologies.
• Meaningful ownership opportunities through a stock option program, representing a significant component of the overall compensation package.
• Opportunity to contribute to the development and commercialization of innovative research technologies.

About KēSTA I.T.

KēSTA I.T. is a Utah-based technology staffing and recruiting firm dedicated to connecting exceptional IT professionals with innovative organizations. We specialize in identifying and delivering highly qualified technology talent across software engineering, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, data, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. At KēSTA I.T., we believe successful partnerships are built on trust, transparency, and a commitment to understanding the unique needs of both our clients and candidates. Our mission is simple: Connect great people with great opportunities while helping organizations innovate, build, disrupt, and thrive.