Senior Research Scientist - GenAI (Design Generation)

Company Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora,你好, hallo, vítejte!

Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you're probably keen to find out what's on offer, so we'll get straight to the point. 

Where and how you can work

Our flagship campus is in Sydney. This role is preferred to be based out of our Sydney office, where the majority of this team is located. 

Job Description

About the Group/Team

Canva Research – Design Generation

We’re building the systems that turn imagination into reality. Within Canva Research, the Design Generation group focuses on creating AI models and pipelines that produce beautiful designs for Canvas users. We work at the intersection of research and product, partnering closely with Product, Design, and Engineering to ship AI-powered experiences that feel magical, reliable, and deeply human. Our work directly shapes how users create, explore, and express ideas in Canva every day.

What you’ll do

• Contribute to research projects that support the development of foundation models across Canva’s AI domains, particularly in visual design generation and editing

• Design and run experiments to test hypotheses, improve model behaviour, and assess real-world performance

• Translate theoretical research and academic papers into robust, production-ready implementations with guidance

• Help develop and refine model architectures and training methodologies to improve outcomes

• Collaborate closely with Research Engineers to scale models and integrate them into Canva’s product ecosystem

• Stay up to date with emerging trends, technologies, and open challenges to inform our research direction

• Share your knowledge internally through documentation and cross-team collaborations, and externally through papers or talks where appropriate

Who you are

You’re someone who enjoys working in a dynamic environment, connecting research with product application, and has demonstrated scientific and technical skills. You can balance long-term thinking with practical delivery, and you’re eager to learn from and collaborate with others.

We’re looking for someone who brings:

• Solid expertise in AI research, particularly in areas like LLMs, vision-language models, generative AI, or multi-modal systems

• A publication record or evidence of research impact in academia or industry

• Experience contributing to research projects from problem formulation through to deployment, with support from more senior team members

• Ability to turn complex theoretical ideas into tangible solutions, and evaluate them rigorously

• A collaborative mindset — you work well with engineers, product teams, and other researchers

What you’ll learn and how you’ll grow

• Involvement in Canva’s AI strategy and foundational model development

• Opportunities to learn from and collaborate with experienced researchers

• Exposure to product impact at a global scale (hundreds of millions of users)

• Dedicated time for self-driven research exploration and experimentation

Additional Information

Don't tick all the boxes? Don't worry about that - nobody does!  

We’d still love to hear from you! At Canva, we know that great engineers come from a variety of backgrounds, and we value passion, curiosity, and a willingness to learn just as much as specific experience. If you're excited about this role but don’t tick every box, we encourage you to apply, you might a great fit in ways you didn’t expect!

What's in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a stack of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.

Here's a taste of what's on offer:

• Equity packages - we want our success to be yours too
• Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good, take time to recharge and supports you personally

Check out  lifeatcanva.com for more info.

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

Interviews are conducted virtually