Researcher - Applied AI for Telco Networks and Systems

Researcher – Applied AI for Telco Networks and Systems

About Telefonica

Telefonica is a company where researchers, engineers, and innovators collaborate to shape the future of connectivity for hundreds of millions of people. With operations spanning Europe and Brazil, we are building the infrastructure and intelligence layer for a connected world — where AI, cloud, and edge computing converge with large-scale telecommunications. Our mission is to make our world more human by connecting lives, and we pursue that mission across every part of the company.

About the Scientific Research Group

Within Telefonica's Innovation Lab, the Scientific Research group conducts mid- to long-term research on the technologies that will define the next generation of telecommunications. We build the science behind Telefonica's network evolution and translate research into innovation projects that create new businesses and capabilities for the Group.

Our researchers have contributed to hundreds of publications in top-tier venues, filed patents that protect core Telefonica technologies, and built solutions that have been transferred into production systems serving millions of customers. We actively participate in EU-funded programmes (Horizon Europe, SNS JU), collaborate with leading universities, and contribute to standards organisations shaping the future of 6G. With team members from multiple countries and disciplines, we foster an environment where open dialogue, intellectual curiosity, and a healthy work-life balance power our innovation and help each of us grow.

We value diverse perspectives — not just because it is the right thing to do, but because the complexity of our research demands it. Different backgrounds and viewpoints make our science stronger and our impact broader.

The Role

We are hiring a Researcher in Applied AI for Telco Networks and Systems to join the Scientific Research team.

You will design and develop AI-driven solutions for next-generation mobile networks (5G evolution and 6G), working at the intersection of network architecture, machine learning, and large-scale data analysis. Your work will shape the path towards autonomous, AI-native telecom networks — using AI to optimise performance, enhance reliability, and enable new services as AI, cloud, and edge computing become core network capabilities.

This position places you at the heart of a profound industry transformation: bridging scientific research, AI innovation, and real-world network impact.

Responsibilities

• Conduct original research in AI applied to telecom networks — including intent-driven and autonomous networks, network architecture design, and anomaly detection and root-cause analysis — and design novel machine learning models that advance both theory and practice.
• Research on native integration of AI models into telecom systems — network management platforms, NFV, and cloud-native architectures — collaborating directly with engineering teams to bridge the gap between research prototypes and deployed solutions.
• Work with large-scale telecom datasets (network KPIs, signalling data, user behaviour) and build end-to-end pipelines for data processing, feature engineering, model training, and evaluation, applying techniques such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, time-series forecasting, and graph-based analytics.
• Publish in top-tier conferences and journals, present findings internally and externally, and foster awareness of Telefonica's research brand in the scientific community.
• Build deep expertise in telecom domains and share advances in applied AI with product and engineering teams across Telefonica, driving technology transfer, filing patents, and authoring white papers.
• Establish collaborative relationships with external partners (universities, research labs) via EU projects and industry consortia, and contribute to standards organisations and research proposals.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD in Computer Science, Telecommunications Engineering, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field AND related research experience; OR
• Master's degree in one of the above fields AND extensive related experience (e.g., applied research, predictive analytics, network modelling, publications).
• Strong expertise in machine learning, deep learning, statistical modelling, and algorithm design.
• Experience with Python and ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn).
• Understanding of AI research methodologies, experimentation, and evaluation.
• Solid understanding of mobile network architectures (RAN/Core) and network protocols (LTE/5G, TCP/IP, signalling).
• Experience working with large-scale datasets and distributed systems (Spark, Hadoop, or similar).
• Strong skills in data analysis, modelling, and visualisation.
• Experience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience in AI for network optimisation, self-organising networks, edge AI, distributed intelligence, or generative AI applied to networks.
• Familiarity with IoT ecosystems, Open RAN, or cloud-native telecom environments.
• Interest or experience in network analytics, wireless systems, or software-defined networking (SDN).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Contributions to open-source projects or research communities.

What We Offer

• Work on cutting-edge AI + telecom research that shapes future networks.
• Access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure.
• Collaboration with leading researchers and global partners across multiple countries and disciplines.
• Participation in EU-funded projects, standards bodies, and international research initiatives.
• A strong publication and innovation culture — your research will have a direct path to products serving millions.
• An inclusive, diverse team environment where curiosity and creativity are valued and a healthy work-life balance is actively supported.

Telefonica is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, colour, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.