1. Land Your Research Scientist Role at Anthropic, DeepMind, OpenAI in 90 Days
Turn your PhD research into a position at the world's leading AI labs. Get personalised, 1-1 coaching from a former Neuroscientist at Oxford and UCL and an Amazon Alexa AI leader with 40+ publications who has helped researchers land roles at Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon.
Who This Is For?
Select Your Research Scientist Coaching preference (details below):
→ Book a Discovery Call to discuss Intensive or Accelerator Coaching packages
Who This Is For?
- PhD researchers ready to transition from academia to industry AI labs
- Industry ML researchers targeting senior scientist roles at frontier AI companies
- Postdocs who want to maximize their research impact at scale
- Senior engineers with strong publication records pivoting to research-focused roles
Select Your Research Scientist Coaching preference (details below):
→ Book a Discovery Call to discuss Intensive or Accelerator Coaching packages
- Interview Intensive (6 weeks)
- Accelerator (12 weeks)
2. What Clients Say?
"The mock interviews for the DeepMind quiz round were invaluable. Every topic was covered."
- Jason, ML Scientist, USA
"Sundeep's feedback on my research presentation transformed how I communicate technical work."
- Michael, AI Research Scientist, USA
"Coming from academia, I had no idea how to position myself. The strategy session changed everything."
- Avni, AI Research Engineer, USA
- Jason, ML Scientist, USA
"Sundeep's feedback on my research presentation transformed how I communicate technical work."
- Michael, AI Research Scientist, USA
"Coming from academia, I had no idea how to position myself. The strategy session changed everything."
- Avni, AI Research Engineer, USA
3. Why Brilliant Researchers Struggle to Land Top AI Lab Positions?
Problem Statement
You've spent years developing deep expertise, publishing impactful papers, and pushing the boundaries of AI research. But when it comes to landing a Research Scientist role at OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepMind, the process feels opaque, political, and disconnected from actual research ability.
Key Challenges
Challenge 1: The Research Talk Paradox
Your best work might not be your best interview topic.
Challenge 2: The "Research Fit" Black Box
Labs reject candidates with stellar CVs for vague "fit" reasons.
Academic metrics don't map to industry value.
Bottom Line
The gap between academic excellence and AI lab offers isn't about your research quality - it's about how you present, position, and pitch yourself. That's exactly what I help you master.
You've spent years developing deep expertise, publishing impactful papers, and pushing the boundaries of AI research. But when it comes to landing a Research Scientist role at OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepMind, the process feels opaque, political, and disconnected from actual research ability.
Key Challenges
Challenge 1: The Research Talk Paradox
Your best work might not be your best interview topic.
- Most researchers default to presenting their most technically impressive paper.
- But AI lab interviews evaluate something different:
- your ability to identify important problems,
- communicate complex ideas clearly,
- demonstrate research taste.
- A mediocre paper on a critical problem often outperforms a brilliant paper on an irrelevant one.
- Without guidance, you risk spending your research talk showcasing technical depth on a topic the lab doesn't care about.
Challenge 2: The "Research Fit" Black Box
Labs reject candidates with stellar CVs for vague "fit" reasons.
- Research Scientist hiring isn't just about publications - it's about research vision alignment, collaboration style, and potential for impact at scale.
- Google DeepMind evaluates differently than Anthropic.
- OpenAI's safety team has different criteria than their capabilities team.
- Most candidates prepare generically and get rejected for reasons they never understand.
Academic metrics don't map to industry value.
- Citation counts, h-index, and venue prestige matter less than you think.
- What matters:
- Can you ship research that advances the lab's mission?
- Can you scope projects that are ambitious yet achievable?
- Can you mentor and collaborate effectively?
- Can you communicate research impact to non-researchers?
- Without industry insider perspective, you'll oversell the wrong things and undersell what actually matters.
Bottom Line
The gap between academic excellence and AI lab offers isn't about your research quality - it's about how you present, position, and pitch yourself. That's exactly what I help you master.
4. Choose Your Path to Research Scientist
Coaching Philosophy
I don't just prepare you for interviews - I help you become the researcher these labs want to hire. Through personalised 1-1 coaching, you'll develop the research narrative, presentation skills, and interview strategies that transform your academic excellence into industry offers.
I don't just prepare you for interviews - I help you become the researcher these labs want to hire. Through personalised 1-1 coaching, you'll develop the research narrative, presentation skills, and interview strategies that transform your academic excellence into industry offers.
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1. Research Scientist Career Guide ($69)
Self-directed researchers who want comprehensive preparation materials. What's Inside: ✓ 12-week intensive preparation roadmap ✓ Math foundations refresher (Algebra, Calculus, Probability) ✓ ML coding questions with solutions (Transformer, VAE, PPO) ✓ Company-specific breakdowns: OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind interview processes ✓ Research discussion frameworks, paper analysis templates ✓ Resume optimization for research-focused roles Best For: PhDs, researchers, and senior scientists with 10-15 hours/week to invest |
2. Research Scientist Strategy ($399)
Get a personalised Research Scientist Roadmap in 60 minutes - clarity on your specific path. What's Inside: ✓ 60-minute 1:1 video call with Dr. Teki ✓ Skills gap assessment across all interview dimensions ✓ Custom 12-week roadmap based on YOUR background ✓ Target company prioritisation and culture fit analysis ✓ CV/LinkedIn repositioning for research roles ✓ Publication and Research portfolio strategy ✓ Research Scientist Career Guide included FREE ($69 value) Best For: Scientists/Engineers transitioning from industry or academia who need strategic clarity about Research roles |
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3. Research Scientist Interview Sprint ($1199)
Interview-ready in 3 weeks. 3 focused mocks. Expert feedback. What You Get: ✓ 3 x 60-minute mock interviews covering RS interviews: → Research Talk → Research Depth (ML, AI, LLMs) → Research Vision & Strategy ✓ Written feedback after each session ✓ Company-specific guide (OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepMind) ✓ 3 weeks async email support ✓ Research Scientist Career Guide included FREE ($69 value) Best For: Candidates with interviews in 2-4 weeks who need practice |
4. Research Scientist Interview Intensive ($2299)
The intensive coaching program with Strategy and Mocks What You Get: ✓ 3 x 60-minute 1:1 coaching sessions ✓ 3 x technical mock interviews with expert feedback ✓ ML implementation practice with code review ✓ Research paper reading group guidance ✓ CV + LinkedIn + Portfolio transformation ✓ Company-specific prep (OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind) ✓ Unlimited async email support for 6 weeks ✓ All guides and materials included Payment: Pay $2299 upfront or $1299 in 2 instalments Best For: Candidates with interviews in 6-8 weeks who need both Strategic positioning AND Interview practice → Book a free, 15min Discovery Call to discuss Intensive |
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5. Research Scientist Coaching Accelerator ($3999)
The complete 3 month system: coaching, mocks, 1-1 support. What You Get: ✓ 5 x 60-minute 1:1 coaching sessions ✓ 5 x technical mock interviews with expert feedback ✓ ML implementation practice with code review ✓ Research paper reading group guidance ✓ CV + LinkedIn + Portfolio transformation ✓ Company-specific prep (OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind) ✓ Unlimited async email support for 12 weeks ✓ All guides and materials included Payment: Pay $3999 upfront or $1499 instalment per month Best For: Serious candidates who want complete strategic and interview support with a 3 month timeline to hitting the job market → Book a free, 15min Discovery Call to discuss Accelerator |
Save with Bundles
Starter Bundle:
Career Guide ($69) + Strategy ($399) - $399 (save $69) Interview Ready: Strategy ($399) + Interview Sprint ($1199) - $1499 (save $99) → Book a Call to discuss bundles or custom offerings |
5. What's Inside the Guide?
→ Get the Research Scientist Guide
6. From Coaching to Career Success
From Coaching to Career Success For:
AI Scientists, ML Engineers, Data Scientists, Product Managers
Michael (PhD), AI Research Scientist, USA:
"We did multiple mock interviews adapted to the needs of each interview and worked through the very last step which is salary negotiations. It's great to have someone you can trust throughout the stressful period of multiple interviews that can provide great advice and support."
Avni, AI Research Engineer, USA:
"I'm so grateful to have found Sundeep as a career coach. He is knowledgeable about the most up-to-date resources for interview preparation and about the types of questions that may be asked. He's also pragmatic in understanding my career goals and helping me with mock interviews. Not only that, he is a kind and compassionate person."
Kensen, Data Scientist, USA:
"Sundeep was a great mentor for preparing me for FAANG-level data scientist interviews. I was able to learn a lot about his frameworks and tips, which were ultimately useful for my actual onsite interviews. Thanks to him, I received an offer from a FAANG company."
Deepti, Data Science Manager, USA:
"If you want the highest ROI for your job hunt efforts, working with Sundeep is where you want to invest your time, financial resources, and effort in. His practice interview approach is thoughtful and deliberate with detailed and constructive feedback."
Margarida (PhD), Data Scientist, Spain:
"The coaching sessions with Sundeep are more than excellent. He has an exceptional knowledge of the technical, corporate and strategic aspects related to data science jobs and recruiting processes. Coming himself from academia, he also provides
exceptional guidance for PhDs willing to start a career as data scientists in the industry."
→ See All Testimonials
"We did multiple mock interviews adapted to the needs of each interview and worked through the very last step which is salary negotiations. It's great to have someone you can trust throughout the stressful period of multiple interviews that can provide great advice and support."
Avni, AI Research Engineer, USA:
"I'm so grateful to have found Sundeep as a career coach. He is knowledgeable about the most up-to-date resources for interview preparation and about the types of questions that may be asked. He's also pragmatic in understanding my career goals and helping me with mock interviews. Not only that, he is a kind and compassionate person."
Kensen, Data Scientist, USA:
"Sundeep was a great mentor for preparing me for FAANG-level data scientist interviews. I was able to learn a lot about his frameworks and tips, which were ultimately useful for my actual onsite interviews. Thanks to him, I received an offer from a FAANG company."
Deepti, Data Science Manager, USA:
"If you want the highest ROI for your job hunt efforts, working with Sundeep is where you want to invest your time, financial resources, and effort in. His practice interview approach is thoughtful and deliberate with detailed and constructive feedback."
Margarida (PhD), Data Scientist, Spain:
"The coaching sessions with Sundeep are more than excellent. He has an exceptional knowledge of the technical, corporate and strategic aspects related to data science jobs and recruiting processes. Coming himself from academia, he also provides
exceptional guidance for PhDs willing to start a career as data scientists in the industry."
→ See All Testimonials
7. Your AI Research Scientist Coach
Oxford-Trained Neuroscientist -> Amazon Alexa AI Scientist -> AI Career Coach
Dr. Sundeep Teki brings a unique combination of academic rigor, hands-on AI industry experience, and proven coaching methodology to career transformation.
What Makes Dr. Teki's Coaching Unique:
Systematic, Proven Frameworks
AI Industry Leadership:
Neuroscience-Backed Methodologies
Academic Foundation:
Ability to Coach for 4 AI roles (read why and how):
Coaching Track Record:
→ Start your Research Scientist journey:
Dr. Sundeep Teki brings a unique combination of academic rigor, hands-on AI industry experience, and proven coaching methodology to career transformation.
What Makes Dr. Teki's Coaching Unique:
Systematic, Proven Frameworks
- Every recommendation backed by data from 100+ coaching clients
- Proprietary positioning strategies optimized for RS recruiter searches
- Portfolio project specifications that consistently generate interviews
- Interview preparation techniques with high success rate and 5* reviews
AI Industry Leadership:
- Research Scientist at Amazon Alexa AI (Speech & NLP)
- Led Conversational AI Applied Research at Swiggy
- Head of AI at Docsumo (25+ ML engineers; Document AI)
- 17+ years of AI/ML experience across USA, UK, India, France
Neuroscience-Backed Methodologies
- Spaced repetition schedules for interview preparation (maximizes long-term retention)
- Memory consolidation techniques for technical concepts (3× faster learning)
- Stress inoculation training for high-pressure scenarios (reduces interview anxiety)
- Cognitive load management for complex system design discussions
Academic Foundation:
- PhD in Neuroscience from University College London (UCL)
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Oxford
- 40+ peer-reviewed publications with 3,000+ citations
- Published in top AI conferences including INTERSPEECH, COLING, AAAI
Ability to Coach for 4 AI roles (read why and how):
Coaching Track Record:
- #1 Rated AI Career Coach by all top AI models - ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini
- 100+ professionals coached into Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Databricks
→ Start your Research Scientist journey:
8. FAQs
1. Without papers at top conferences (ICML, NeurIPS etc.), can I still target a Research Scientist role?
Top venue publications help, but they're not strictly required, especially if you have other evidence of research impact. The key is demonstrating research taste, problem selection ability, and potential for impact. We'll work together to build that narrative from whatever evidence you have.
2. What is the difference between Research Scientist and Research Engineer roles?
Research Scientists primarily advance the state of the art through novel research - your job is to publish papers, develop new methods, and push capabilities forward. Research Engineers implement, scale, and deploy research - your job is to make research work in production.
Some roles blur these lines (especially at smaller labs), but the interview processes and evaluation criteria differ significantly. If you're unsure which path fits you, that's something we'd discuss in a strategy call.
3. I'm a Professor/Postdoc considering industry. Is it too late to make a switch?
Absolutely not. Several research leaders in industry have transitioned from faculty positions to industry research labs. Your experience actually provides unique advantages: research leadership, mentorship track record, and deep expertise. The challenge is adapting your presentation style and demonstrating awareness of industry constraints. We'd focus on translating your academic accomplishments into industry-relevant value propositions.
4. How important is the research talk versus other interview components?
The research talk is typically the most important factor in Research Scientist hiring - it's where you demonstrate research taste, communication ability, and depth of thinking. That said, you still need to pass coding interviews and behavioral screens. I've seen candidates with brilliant research talks get rejected for coding performance, and vice versa. A complete preparation strategy addresses all components.
5. What if I'm only interested in one specific company?
That's completely fine - many clients work with me specifically targeting OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepMind. We'll tailor everything to that company's specific culture, interview format, and evaluation criteria. However, I often recommend applying to more companies simultaneously for leverage and backup options. We can discuss the tradeoffs in a strategy call.
Bottom line
If you invest 90 days systematically following the career guide on your own and still struggle, that's a signal that coaching would accelerate your progress significantly.
→ Book a Discovery call
Top venue publications help, but they're not strictly required, especially if you have other evidence of research impact. The key is demonstrating research taste, problem selection ability, and potential for impact. We'll work together to build that narrative from whatever evidence you have.
2. What is the difference between Research Scientist and Research Engineer roles?
Research Scientists primarily advance the state of the art through novel research - your job is to publish papers, develop new methods, and push capabilities forward. Research Engineers implement, scale, and deploy research - your job is to make research work in production.
Some roles blur these lines (especially at smaller labs), but the interview processes and evaluation criteria differ significantly. If you're unsure which path fits you, that's something we'd discuss in a strategy call.
3. I'm a Professor/Postdoc considering industry. Is it too late to make a switch?
Absolutely not. Several research leaders in industry have transitioned from faculty positions to industry research labs. Your experience actually provides unique advantages: research leadership, mentorship track record, and deep expertise. The challenge is adapting your presentation style and demonstrating awareness of industry constraints. We'd focus on translating your academic accomplishments into industry-relevant value propositions.
4. How important is the research talk versus other interview components?
The research talk is typically the most important factor in Research Scientist hiring - it's where you demonstrate research taste, communication ability, and depth of thinking. That said, you still need to pass coding interviews and behavioral screens. I've seen candidates with brilliant research talks get rejected for coding performance, and vice versa. A complete preparation strategy addresses all components.
5. What if I'm only interested in one specific company?
That's completely fine - many clients work with me specifically targeting OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepMind. We'll tailor everything to that company's specific culture, interview format, and evaluation criteria. However, I often recommend applying to more companies simultaneously for leverage and backup options. We can discuss the tradeoffs in a strategy call.
Bottom line
If you invest 90 days systematically following the career guide on your own and still struggle, that's a signal that coaching would accelerate your progress significantly.
→ Book a Discovery call
9. Start Your Research Scientist Journey
You've spent years developing world-class research skills. Don't let an unprepared interview stand between you and your dream role at OpenAI, Anthropic, or DeepMind.
Every week you wait is another week of potential offers going to candidates who prepared strategically.
Every week you wait is another week of potential offers going to candidates who prepared strategically.
Choose your preferred Coaching offering
→ Book a Discovery Call to discuss Intensive or Accelerator Coaching packages
→ Book a Discovery Call to discuss Intensive or Accelerator Coaching packages
- Interview Intensive (6 weeks)
- Accelerator (12 weeks)