Database Research Scientist

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States, +4 more countries.

📋 Description

• Conduct applied research to enhance the performance, scalability, reliability, and functionality of open-source database management systems, including ClickHouse and PostgreSQL.

• Design and assess algorithms, data structures, and system architectures focused on query optimization, indexing, storage management, query execution, and distributed data management.

• Create research prototypes and production-level implementations.

• Collaborate with engineering teams to incorporate successful techniques into both open-source and production systems.

• Work alongside database engine, infrastructure, and data-plane engineers to pinpoint high-impact research challenges.

• Analyze extensive database workloads, performance traces, benchmarks, and production telemetry to uncover bottlenecks and optimization opportunities.

• Design experiments and benchmarks across realistic workloads, hardware configurations, and deployment settings.

• Share research findings through technical reports, open-source contributions, internal presentations, and publications at prominent database and systems conferences.

• Discover emerging research opportunities and contribute to shaping long-term ClickHouse Labs research initiatives.

• Examine performance and scalability bottlenecks in production-quality systems and innovate new algorithms and system designs.

• Engage with open-source database systems such as ClickHouse and PostgreSQL.

⛳️ Requirements

• A Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related discipline, with research experience in databases, distributed systems, systems software, or machine learning systems.

• A robust publication record in leading peer-reviewed research venues such as SIGMOD, VLDB, SOSP, OSDI, NSDI, or NeurIPS, with work pertinent to databases or systems.

• Strong background in programming and systems development, including expertise in database internals or large systems codebases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, ClickHouse, or similar modern DBMSs.

• Proficiency in systems programming with languages such as C, C++, Rust, Zig, or a similar low-level programming language.

• Excellent analytical, experimental, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.

• Experience in developing or managing database systems in cloud environments such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure.

• Familiarity with large language models, reinforcement learning, learned optimization, or other machine learning and systems techniques.

• Experience contributing to extensive open-source systems projects, particularly in database engines, distributed systems, compilers, or storage systems.

• Knowledge of formal specification or model-checking frameworks such as TLA+/PlusCal, Alloy, or Lean.

• Familiarity with LLVM, eBPF, Python, Go, as well as advanced profiling and debugging tools, perf, sanitizers, or tracing frameworks.

• A proven history of optimizing database systems through hardware acceleration methods such as GPU, FPGA, or CXL, utilizing CUDA, SYCL, ROCm, or specialized FPGA development workflows.

🏝️ Benefits

• Employer contributions towards healthcare.

• Stock options/equity in the company.

• Flexible time off in the US.

• Generous time off entitlement in other countries.

• USD$500 home office setup allowance for remote employees.

• Opportunities to connect with colleagues at company-wide offsites.

• Flexible work environment.

• Remote-friendly work arrangement.