AI Research Scientist

AI - ML, Systematic Trading & Research

Abu Dhabi, Dubai

• AI Researcher – Prop Trading – UAE – $200,000-$250,000 USD base + Bonus
• There are very few roles in the world where you can state-of-the-art AI research such as LLMs, transformers, deep neural networks to live financial markets, with access to serious compute infrastructure and a team assembled from some of the best minds in both fields.
• This is one of them.
• A globally recognised name, the UAE office is a central part of the research expansion — small today, growing quickly, and already home to senior researchers, quant leads, and strategy leadership.
• The team publishes.
• Researchers here have been widely cited in top-tier peer-reviewed journals, and the culture is collaborative.
• AI and trading expertise are shared openly across the team rather than siloed.
• If you want to do real research that also has commercial impact, this is a rare setup.
• Why you’d want this role
• One of the few environments where foundational model research directly feeds live trading systems
• Access to dedicated compute infrastructure
• A culture built around publishing – the firm actively supports and values research contributions to the broader scientific community
• Flat structure with direct exposure to leadership from day one
• Work alongside researchers and engineers recruited from the very top of the field globally

Why Abu Dhabi

• Consistently ranked among the safest and most liveable cities in the world
• One of the fastest-growing hubs for buy-side finance and AI in the region
• Significant tax advantages over London, New York, or Singapore
• The most sought-after neighbourhoods are a 10–20 minute drive from the office — no tube strikes, no packed commutes, and a cab is around £8 each way
• Year-round sunshine and world-class infrastructure
• What you’ll be doing
• Researching and developing novel AI-driven quantitative trading strategies,* ing the latest advances in LLMs, transformers, and deep neural networks to real market problems
• Exploring large volumes of market and alternative data to discover and capitalise on new trading opportunities
• Inventing and* ing next-generation methods in prompt engineering, signal processing, and time-series analysis
• Contributing to a research culture where your findings may be published and recognised beyond the firm
• What you’ll bring
• A Master’s or PhD in a quantitative discipline: Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Quantitative Finance, or similar
• Deep, practical knowledge of large language models and deep neural networks, applied to real problems in NLP, vision, signal processing, or related domains
• Strong experience analysing large datasets using rigorous ML and statistical methods – classification, regression, time-series analysis, Bayesian methods, neural networks, and more
• Proficiency in Python and relevant ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow; C++ experience a plus
• A track record of generating impactful research, whether in academia or industry
• Curiosity about financial markets – prior finance experience is not required, just the appetite to learn
• We recognise that great researchers don’t always fit neatly into a checklist.
• If this sounds like the kind of work you want to be doing, reach out directly — even if you’re unsure whether you’re the right fit. josh@durlstonpartners.com
• If this role isn’t right for you but you know someone who’d be a great fit, we have a market-leading referral scheme in place to thank anyone who refers a candidate who successfully passes probation.