Six Figure Work

Senior Applications Engineer, AI for Material Science and Chemistry

NVIDIA

Company websitenvidia.com (NVIDIA, opens in new tab)

Base salary $168K  to $322K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Santa Clara, CA +1 more

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  • LocationSanta Clara, CA +1 more
  • WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since
All places named
  • Santa Clara, CA
  • New York

How this pay compares

Base floor $168,000, above 43% of the 5,063 Software Engineering roles in California on this site; the other 57% list the same floor or a higher one. The employer's range is $154,000 wide, 92% of the floor. Observed open for 7 days so far (since Oct 31, 2026).

Pay in context

Among 5,063 Software Engineering roles in California listed on this site, the median base floor is $176,600 and the middle half runs from $149,365 to $204,000. This role's floor ($168,000) is above 43% of them; 35 others list the same floor.

Base floors of 5,063 Software Engineering roles in California

Base floors of 5,063 Software Engineering roles in California$100K to $125K: 8.1% (410); $125K to $150K: 17.1% (865); $150K to $175K: 22.7% (1,151); $175K to $200K: 22.8% (1,155); $200K to $225K: 13.0% (657); $225K to $250K: 6.2% (314); $250K to $275K: 4.9% (246); $275K and up: 5.2% (265)0%8%16%24%8%10017%12523%15023%17513%2006%2255%2505%275This job $168K
Each bar counts postings on this site by published base floor, in $K. The marker is this job's floor.
Table
Base floors of 5,063 Software Engineering roles in California
Floor bandSharePostings
$100K to $125K8.1%410
$125K to $150K17.1%865
$150K to $175K22.7%1,151
$175K to $200K22.8%1,155
$200K to $225K13.0%657
$225K to $250K6.2%314
$250K to $275K4.9%246
$275K and up5.2%265
How this is calculated
Statistic
Base floor distribution of the cohort
Formula
count of cohort postings in each $25K band of published base floor / postings in the cohort
Denominator
5,063 open postings with this job family in California
Sample size
5063
Hidden when
needs at least 30 postings in the cohort
Calculation version
jobpage-analysis-v1
Data as of
2026-11-08
Employer set
Open jobs on this site that publish a base salary of $100,000 or more

Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 8, 2026.

State against nationwide

Median base floor in California vs nationwide

Median published base floor of the same job family, in this state and across all states, next to this job's floor.
Table
Median base floor in California vs nationwide
Valuepostings
Software Engineering, California$176,6005,063
Software Engineering, all states$160K12,896
This job's base floor (marked)$168K
How this is calculated
Statistic
Median floor, state vs nationwide
Formula
median published base floor of each cohort
Denominator
open postings of this job family
Sample size
5063 in California; 12896 nationwide
Hidden when
needs at least 30 postings in both cohorts
Calculation version
jobpage-analysis-v1
Data as of
2026-11-08
Employer set
Open jobs on this site that publish a base salary of $100,000 or more

How NVIDIA pays

659 of NVIDIA's 1,290 live roles on this site list a higher base floor and 445 list a lower one. Across them the median floor is $184,000; the middle half runs from $152,000 to $200,000.

Base floors of NVIDIA's 1,290 live roles

Base floors of NVIDIA's 1,290 live roles$100K to $125K: 7.4% (95); $125K to $150K: 14.1% (182); $150K to $175K: 27.4% (354); $175K to $200K: 25.0% (323); $200K to $225K: 14.3% (185); $225K to $250K: 3.5% (45); $250K to $275K: 5.7% (73); $275K and up: 2.6% (33)0%8%16%24%7%10014%12527%15025%17514%2003%2256%2503%275This job $168K
Each bar counts this employer's live roles by published base floor, in $K. The marker is this job's floor.
Table
Base floors of NVIDIA's 1,290 live roles
Floor bandShareRoles
$100K to $125K7.4%95
$125K to $150K14.1%182
$150K to $175K27.4%354
$175K to $200K25.0%323
$200K to $225K14.3%185
$225K to $250K3.5%45
$250K to $275K5.7%73
$275K and up2.6%33
How this is calculated
Statistic
Employer base floor distribution
Formula
count of the employer's open roles in each $25K band of published base floor / its open roles
Denominator
1,290 open public roles at this employer
Sample size
1290
Hidden when
needs at least 5 roles
Calculation version
jobpage-analysis-v1
Data as of
current
Employer set
Open jobs on this site that publish a base salary of $100,000 or more

Similar pay elsewhere

Other employers' Software Engineering roles in California with the nearest published base floor to $168,000, one per employer.

About this job

We are building the software infrastructure for the next era of scientific discovery. At NVIDIA, we believe AI will transform how new chemicals and materials are discovered. We are developing the software tools to make that possible! NVIDIA ALCHEMI is a key pillar of this stack, and this role will help shape ALCHEMI and the broader software ecosystem around it.

We are looking for a senior application engineer with background in material science codes to accelerate AI-driven simulations for materials discovery. You will turn the latest research into software that scientists use for real discovery. You will work across research, engineering, and product teams in building software tools for materials science and chemistry bridging traditional simulations and AI surrogates.

What you will be doing:

  • Collaborate with some of the brightest minds in computational chemistry and AI to develop new tools and features in NVIDIA ALCHEMI to enable developers and researchers with performant atomistic simulation workflows.

  • Work directly with a customer or developer, guiding them how to integrate material science applications with AI surrogates using NVIDIA ALCHEMI into their workflows.

  • Profile the application and run benchmarks to show the product’s value proposition.

  • Collaborate with subject matter experts on whitepapers and research.

  • Engage and participate in workshops focussed on the intersection of material science and AI.

What we need to see:

  • PhD or equivalent experience in computational physics, computational chemistry, computer science, or related technical fields

  • 8+ years of experience or demonstrable expertise in developing high performance numerical methods for scientific computing or material science applications

  • Experience in running material science simulations on large scale HPC systems

  • Ability to work independently and as part of a globally distributed team.

  • Proficiency in Fortran, C++, CUDA, Python and common Material Science tools

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

  • Outstanding knowledge of high-performance plane waves primitives response properties, high throughput screening,

  • Experience with high-performance accelerator algorithm implementation, runtime performance optimization, usage of floating point emulation, and mixed precision libraries.

With competitive salaries and a generous benefits package, we are widely considered to be one of the technology world’s most desirable employers. We have some of the most forward-thinking and hardworking people in the world working for us and, due to unprecedented growth, our exclusive engineering teams are rapidly growing. If you're a creative and autonomous engineer with a real passion for technology, we want to hear from you.

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary ranges for this position are:
168,000 USD – 270,250 USD for Level 4; and 200,000 USD – 322,000 USD for Level 5.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until November 3, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy. 

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Source: NVIDIA on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)

This range next to 6 other live NVIDIA roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live NVIDIA roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Senior Applications Engineer, AI for Material Science and Chemistry (this listing)$168K - $322K
L11 System Product Development Engineer$168,000 - $258,750
Senior Software Engineer, Network Visibility Platform - DGX Cloud$168K - $322K
Hardware Validation Procedures and Documentation Lead$168,000 - $258,750
Senior Software Engineer, Platform Engineering$168K - $322K
PhD Research Scientist, Fundamental Generative AI - New College Grad 2026$168,000 - $264,500
AI Engineering Manager - Finance$168K - $322K

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All NVIDIA roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

No changes to the pay or listing since we first observed this role on Oct 31, 2026 (7 days ago).

  1. First observed on the employer's board, already publishing a qualifying base salary
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-10-30
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: US, CA, Santa Clara • US, NY, Remote • US, Remote (Levels 4-5 combined)

168,000 USD – 270,250 USD for Level 4; and 200,000 USD – 322,000 USD for Level 5.

Method
Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
Checked
Rule set
us-base-v2

The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.

What we verified

  • The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
  • The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
  • The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.

We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.

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