Principal Research Scientist, Database Systems

Summary

Join MongoDB Research and advance the state of the art in database systems. Conduct innovative research in query optimization, indexing, and storage engines. Design and evaluate novel database systems leveraging modern hardware features. Collaborate with engineering teams to translate research into practical solutions. Publish research in top-tier conferences and journals. Build a research group and mentor junior researchers. This role offers flexibility with in-office, flexible, or remote options in North America.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field with a specialization in database systems
• 12+ years of experience applying computer science concepts to large scale software development problems, including databases and distributed systems
• Proven track record of impactful research publications in top-tier database and systems conferences and journals
• Demonstrated expertise in query optimization, efficient data structures, and high-performance database architectures
• Strong background in performance engineering, hardware-aware optimizations, and database engine internals
• Experience in building research prototypes and conducting rigorous empirical studies to validate theoretical models
• Excellent analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams

Responsibilities

• Conduct innovative research in query optimization, indexing methods, storage engines, and performance optimization
• Design, prototype, and empirically evaluate novel database systems and architectures that leverage modern hardware features, such as SIMD parallelism, GPU acceleration, and multicore processing
• Collaborate closely with our Engineering teams to translate cutting-edge research into practical solutions applicable in commercial database products
• Publish influential research outcomes in top-tier database and systems conferences and journals (e.g., VLDB, SIGMOD)
• Build a Database Systems research group with a critical mass of 2-3 researchers over the next 1-2 years
• Mentor junior researchers, fostering a collaborative and productive research environment

Benefits

• Flexible paid time off
• 20 weeks fully-paid gender-neutral parental leave
• Fertility and adoption assistance
• 401(k) plan
• Mental health counseling
• Access to transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage
• Health benefits offerings