Senior Applied AI Scientist (AI Learning)

At Preply, we’re all about creating life-changing learning experiences. We help people discover the magic of the perfect tutor, craft a personalised learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing. Our approach is human-led, tech-enabled - and it’s creating real impact.

We’ve just reached unicorn status with a $150M Series D, accelerating our vision to transform education through human-led, AI-enhanced learning. Today, 100,000+ tutors teach 90+ languages to learners in 180 countries - and we’re only getting started. As a category-defining company, we’re shaping what the future of learning looks like at global scale.

Every Preply lesson sparks change, fuels ambition, and drives progress that matters. Joining Preply means helping define the future of education at global scale, and building something that truly matters for millions of people, every day.

At Preply, we believe learning should be personal, dynamic, and data-driven - and our AI Learning team is at the core of making that a reality. We build the models and systems that power personalized learning paths and real-time feedback, using multimodal LLMs trained on rich, unstructured data like video, audio, and transcripts.
Our goal is to transform how students learn between lessons and how tutors deliver impact at scale. From building conversational AI tools to designing smart teaching assistants, we apply the latest in NLP, generative AI, and deep learning to real-world learning journeys - always with a focus on usability, effectiveness, and measurable progress .
We work closely with product and engineering to bring research into production, shaping features that reach millions of learners. Whether it’s improving fluency through AI-powered chat practice or generating personalized lesson content, our work blends scientific rigor with learner-first thinking.

• AI Research & Development: Apply deep learning, NLP, LLMs, and multimodal AI to build and optimize scalable machine learning solutions for personalized learning and AI tutors.

• Applied Science Execution: Work on cutting-edge AI models, contributing to research, prototyping, and deployment in production environments.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with scientists, engineers, and product teams to deliver AI-driven solutions that improve learning experiences and business outcomes.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: Support and mentor junior scientists and engineers, fostering an environment of learning and innovation.

• Best Practices in ML: Contribute to machine learning best practices, including model architecture, research methodologies, and deployment pipelines.

• PhD in NLP, Machine Learning, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 4+ years of industry experience, focusing on deep learning-based NLP applications.

• Strong proficiency in deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.

• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud).

• Ability to drive AI initiatives from research to production in a collaborative environment.

• Strong problem-solving skills and a track record of building impactful AI solutions.

• Passion for advancing AI-driven personalized learning experiences.

• Eagerness to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional setting to bring AI research into real-world applications.

• (Nice-to-have) Experience with LLMs and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).

• An open, collaborative, dynamic and diverse culture;

• A generous monthly allowance for lessons on Preply.com, Learning & Development budget and time off for your self-development;

• A competitive financial package with equity, leave allowance and health insurance;

• Not in Barcelona? We offer an attractive relocation package to join us in our Preply Barcelona Hub

• Access to free mental health support platforms;

• Access to Gympass-partnered wellness and gym centers throughout Spain to promote and support well-being and physical health;

• The opportunity to unlock the potential of learners and tutors through language learning and teaching in 175 countries (and counting!).

#LI-AG1

• Care to change the world - We are passionate about our work and care deeply about its impact to be life changing.

• We do it for learners - For both Preply and tutors, learners are why we do what we do. Every day we focus on empowering tutors to deliver an exceptional learning experience.

• Keep perfecting - To create an outstanding customer experience, we focus on simplicity, smoothness, and enjoyment, continually perfecting it as every detail matters.

• Now is the time - In a fast-paced world, it matters how quickly we act. Now is the time to make great things happen.

• Disciplined execution - What makes us disciplined is the excellence in our execution. We set clear goals, focus on what matters, and utilize our resources efficiently.

• Dive deep - We leverage business acumen and curiosity to investigate disparities between numbers and stories, unlocking meaningful insights to guide our decisions.

• Growth mindset - We proactively seek growth opportunities and believe today's best performance becomes tomorrow's starting point. We humbly embrace feedback and learn from setbacks.

• Raise the bar - We raise our performance standards continuously, alongside each new hire and promotion. We build diverse and high-performing teams that can make a real difference.

• Challenge, disagree and commit - We value open and candid communication, even when we don’t fully agree. We speak our minds, challenge when necessary, and fully commit to decisions once made.

• One Preply - We prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and the success of our team over personal ambitions. Together, we support and celebrate each other's progress.

Preply.com is committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe that the presence of different opinions and viewpoints is a key ingredient for our success as a multicultural Ed-Tech company. That means that Preply will consider all applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or veteran status.