Sr. Machine Learning Scientist

Department: Research & Development

Location: EMEA-Switzerland-HQ

Description

Location: onsite work from our office in Zürich

We are building the future of digital dentistry. Align Technology has transformed orthodontics and restorative dentistry through Invisalign, the iTero intraoral scanner, and exocad CAD/CAM products used by clinicians in over 100 countries, backed by data from more than 20 million patients. Our Advanced Technology Development (ATD) team in Switzerland is where breakthrough ideas become real products.

As a Senior ML Scientist, you will develop and explore advanced methods spanning 3D geometry processing, computer graphics, computer vision, and modern machine learning to solve fundamentally new and unsolved challenges. You will invent new ways to simulate, visualize, and predict dental outcomes, turning raw 3D scans and clinical imagery into intelligent, patient-specific experiences. This is applied research with direct product impact: your prototypes become the features millions of patients rely on.

The Advanced Technology Development team operates as Align’s applied research lab. We are a small, high-impact group of scientists and engineers who work 12-18 months ahead of the product roadmap. You will collaborate daily with clinicians, product managers, and engineering teams across our global offices. We value intellectual honesty, rapid experimentation, and shipping research that changes patient outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and improve machine learning models for 3D tooth shape generation as part of the exocad AI Design product. This entails:
• Building data pre- and post-processing pipelines.
• Adapting, implementing and training 3D geometric machine learning models.
• Work on numerical optimization and classical 3D geometry processing algorithms to complement the ML models.
• Work closely with our dentists and dental technicians to build domain knowledge into the algorithms.
• Optimize test-time ML pipelines for speed and memory usage.
• Build processes to validate performance and robustness of the test-time ML pipelines.
  

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Min. a bachelor's degree in computer science or similar education.
• A strong background in 3D Geometry Processing / Computer Graphics / Computer Vision / Machine Learning.
• 5+ years of experience in Python and the following libraries:
• PyTorch
• 3D geometry processing libraries such as trimesh, pymeshlab, open3d, libigl
• Standard data processing libraries such as numpy, opencv, scikit, scipy
• Profound knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps, MLOps, Unit Tests.
• Experience with 3D / geometric machine learning architectures.
• Knowledge about the most common neural network architectures such as AE, VAE, MLP, CNN, transformer, GAN, diffusion model.
• Knowledge about generative AI.
• The ability to work on cutting-edge research projects, while having a product mindset.
• Solid grounding in linear algebra, analytical geometry, probability, and optimization.
• Strong publication record or demonstrable equivalent impact (shipped products, patents, open-source contributions).

Complementary skills

• Domain knowledge in dentistry or dental technologies.
• Experience with C++.
• Familiarity with additional machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow).
• Experience with parallel computing and/or performance optimization.
• Background in developing mathematical optimization algorithms.
• Experience in cloud computing / deployment including AWS, Docker.

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Equal Opportunity Statement

Align Technology is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities in all our practices, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, protected veteran status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected category. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the country for which they are applying, and employment eligibility will be verified as a condition of hire.