Research Engineer / Scientist (3D Tech Lead)

<h2><strong>About World Labs:</strong></h2> <p>We build foundational world models that can perceive, generate, reason, and interact with the 3D world — unlocking AI's full potential through spatial intelligence by transforming seeing into doing, perceiving into reasoning, and imagining into creating. </p> <p>We believe spatial intelligence will unlock new forms of storytelling, creativity, design, simulation, and immersive experiences across both virtual and physical worlds.</p> <p>We bring together a world-class team, united by a shared curiosity, passion, and deep backgrounds in technology — from AI research to systems engineering to product design — creating a tight feedback loop between our cutting-edge research and products that empower our users.</p> <p> </p> <h2><strong>Role Overview</strong></h2> <p>We’re looking for a Tech Lead for 3D Modeling Reconstruction to set technical direction and drive execution for our core 3D modeling efforts. This role is ideal for someone with a strong research science (RS) or research engineering (RE) background who has made meaningful contributions to the field of 3D reconstruction and/or modeling—through academic publications, widely used open-source projects, or production systems deployed at scale.</p> <p>This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll combine deep technical expertise with the ability to guide a high-impact team, shaping both the research roadmap and the production systems that bring modern 3D modeling methods into real-world products. You’ll work closely with research, engineering, and product partners to translate cutting-edge ideas into reliable, scalable capabilities.</p> <h2><strong>What You Will Do:</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Set the technical vision and roadmap for 3D modeling and reconstruction, balancing research exploration with product-driven milestones.</li> <li>Lead the design and implementation of state-of-the-art 3D modeling systems, spanning geometry, appearance, and scene-level representations.</li> <li>Drive innovation in modern 3D modeling approaches, including learning-based and optimization-based methods, with an eye toward robustness, scalability, and real-world data.</li> <li>Guide architectural decisions around 3D representations, training pipelines, and inference systems, ensuring they integrate cleanly with broader 3D data and rendering platforms.</li> <li>Lead and mentor a small team of research scientists and/or research engineers: providing technical guidance, setting high standards, and fostering a culture of rigor and ownership.</li> <li>Own end-to-end execution of key initiatives, from early research prototypes through production deployment and iteration.</li> <li>Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to align 3D modeling capabilities with product needs, timelines, and quality bars.</li> <li>Represent the team and its work internally and externally, including contributing to publications, technical talks, or open-source efforts where appropriate.</li> <li>Continuously evaluate emerging research and industry trends in 3D modeling and reconstruction, and translate the most promising ideas into actionable plans.</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Key Qualifications:</strong></h2> <ul> <li>8+ years of experience in 3D reconstruction, 3D modeling, computer vision, graphics, or closely related fields.</li> <li>A strong track record of impactful contributions to the field, demonstrated through academic publications, influential open-source work, or widely deployed industry products.</li> <li>Deep expertise in modern 3D modeling and reconstruction methods, including representation design, optimization strategies, and learning-based approaches.</li> <li>Proven experience leading or mentoring a small team, lab, or project group, with responsibility for technical direction and delivery.</li> <li>Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++, with experience building both research prototypes and production-quality systems.</li> <li>Hands-on experience wi ... (truncated, view full listing at source)