Senior Principal Research Engineer

Job Requisition ID #

As a Senior Principal Research Engineer on the AEC Solutions team, you will join a group of technologists to help build foundation models and generative AI tools for the AEC industry. You will work collaboratively to create and interpret design data that enhances design and engineering workflows, while providing technical leadership and mentoring to junior team members.

Report: You will report to the Machine Learning Manager in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Solutions Team.
Location: We support hybrid work; you will work near our Boston, Massachusetts or Toronto, Canada offices.

• Lead and collaborate with other engineers to develop scalable data pipelines for diverse AEC data sources

• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance on complex data engineering challenges

• Work with large-scale, multi-modal datasets—including text and geometric data—to support preprocessing, augmentation, analysis, and content understanding

• Transform unstructured AEC data into representations suitable for machine learning

• Lead cross-functional collaboration with ML Research Scientists and Engineers to align data formats with downstream training and fine-tuning of LLMs

• Apply deduplication, normalization, and validation techniques to ensure high-quality data at scale

• Architect and optimize pipelines for scalability, reproducibility, and cloud deployment

• Drive technical decision-making and influence engineering best practices across the team

• Perform requirements analysis, working with team members of different levels and documenting solutions clearly

• Lead initiatives to communicate findings through quantitative analysis, visuals, and clear insights

• Contribute to agile workflows, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness to evolving project needs

• Participate in technical planning and roadmap development

• Ph.D. or M.Sc. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field

• 10+ years of experience in Machine Learning, Engineering, or related fields

• 2+ years of experience leading technical projects or mentoring junior engineers

• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership in cross-functional environments

• Hands-on experience in data modeling, architecture, and processing across multiple representations, including 2D/3D geometry

• Experience with computational geometry and geometric data methods

• Familiarity with machine learning concepts and frameworks, and how data is represented for training

• Proficiency in Python and strong software engineering practices

• Ability to translate theoretical concepts into practical solutions and prototypes

• Strong documentation skills for code, architectures, and experiments

• Background in Architecture, Engineering, or Construction (AEC)

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and guide technical decisions

• Experience with AEC data formats (e.g., BIM models, IFC files, CAD files, Drawing Sets)

• Knowledge of the AEC industry and its specific data processing challenges

• Understanding of deep learning architectures (CNNs, Transformers) and familiarity with frameworks like PyTorch or Lightning

• Solid understanding of core computer science algorithms and scalability considerations

• Experience with AWS cloud services and SageMaker Studio for scalable data processing

• Experience managing or leading small technical teams

• Track record of driving technical innovation and best practices

• You are passionate about solving problems for AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) customers by applying machine learning techniques

• You are comfortable working in newly forming, ambiguous areas where learning and adaptability are key skills

• You collaborate easily with others and are comfortable providing technical leadership with minimal direction

• You constantly strive to learn new technologies and methodologies while helping others grow

• You seek new ways to solve hard problems and can guide others in problem-solving approaches

• You are unafraid to put your ideas out there, fail fast, and help create a culture of innovation and learning

At Autodesk, we're building a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to imagine, design, and make a better world. Autodesk is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. We also consider for employment all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.