Research Scientist - Generative AI & Applications

We are looking for a Research Scientist to join our Data Science Team as we scale up and drive digital and financial inclusion across our markets.

At M-KOPA, machine learning research isn't conducted in an academic vacuum-it's deployed to empower millions of people across Africa. As our Commercial Research Scientist working remotely with our central Data Science team, you'll develop sophisticated models that drive financial inclusion while solving complex business challenges for a company that has already improved the lives of over 23 million people worldwide.

Your Scientific and Social Impact

This role places you at a unique intersection of theoretical innovation and transformative application. You'll tackle complex modelling challenges that require both academic rigor and practical ingenuity. Your research won't just advance the field of machine learning-it will directly influence strategic decisions, optimize product performance, and shape the future direction of M-KOPA's offerings.

Working in a fully remote capacity, you'll collaborate with talented colleagues across multiple continents, from Europe and the UK to Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana. Your algorithms and insights will help determine how we extend credit, optimize our operations, and develop new products that bring digital and financial services to those traditionally excluded from the system.

Imagine seeing your machine learning innovations translated into real stories of impact: a small business securing its first inventory loan, a family accessing educational content through their first smartphone, or entire communities gaining financial resilience through accessible digital services. This is the extraordinary opportunity that awaits at M-KOPA.

Why This Role Will Transform Your Career

This position offers exceptional opportunities for both professional advancement and meaningful contribution:

• The perfect balance of scientific exploration and real-world application allows you to pursue intellectual curiosity while creating tangible impact. You'll enjoy the freedom to explore novel methods and push theoretical boundaries, knowing your work directly improves lives.
• The international and cross-functional nature of your collaboration will expand your perspective beyond traditional machine learning applications. You'll work with diverse teams that bring unique insights to your research challenges, accelerating both innovation and implementation.
• Your thought leadership will extend beyond M-KOPA, with opportunities to publish influential research papers, attend leading conferences, and collaborate with prestigious academic institutions. Your work will help establish M-KOPA as an innovator in applying sophisticated machine learning to drive financial inclusion.
• You'll join a mission-driven organization deeply committed to sustainability and social impact. M-KOPA is proudly carbon-negative, having already displaced over 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions through our products and services.
• The combination of cutting-edge scientific challenges and humanitarian purpose creates a uniquely rewarding professional experience. You'll apply sophisticated machine learning techniques to solve problems that meaningfully change lives.

Your Day-to-Day Research

• Each day will bring intellectually stimulating challenges that stretch your scientific capabilities:
• You'll conduct applied machine learning research and develop innovative algorithms to solve complex, real-world problems. From credit risk assessment to customer behaviour modelling, your work will tackle sophisticated challenges with substantial business and social implications.
• You'll prototype, test, and iterate advanced models, integrating state-of-the-art academic insights into practical solutions. This process will allow you to bridge the gap between theoretical possibilities and implementable algorithms.
• As a key member of our central Data Science team, you'll actively engage with academic institutions to accelerate innovation and maintain M-KOPA's competitive advantage. These collaborations will keep your research at the cutting edge while fostering relationships with the broader scientific community.
• Throughout your work, you'll balance theoretical exploration with practical application, ensuring your research delivers both scientific advancement and tangible business impact.

Must-Have Qualifications:

• Advanced expertise in machine learning, mathematics, statistics, and theoretical computer science.
• Experience or academic publication in generative modelling (e.g., VAEs, GANs, diffusion models, or related methods)
• Tracked publication record in prestigious conference or journals (e.g. NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR/AAAI).
• Proven ability to translate academic research into practical, impactful algorithms
• Experience with deep learning, reinforcement learning, or other specialized machine learning domains
• Exceptional analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities

How Your Experience Creates Impact

As someone driven by intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of scientific excellence, you'll find M-KOPA offers a uniquely fulfilling environment. Your passion for advancing the state-of-the-art in machine learning will be directed toward meaningful practical problems that improve lives.

Your comfort navigating theoretical complexities will help deliver impactful business and social outcomes in a company where innovation and impact go hand in hand. The scientific rigor you bring will elevate our data science capabilities while your practical focus ensures this translates to real-world benefits.

Join Our Remote Team

This is a fully remote role, allowing you to work within the UTC-1 to UTC+3 time zone alongside a diverse group of talented professionals across the UK, Europe, and Africa. You'll report directly to the Head of Data Science, who will support your research endeavours and help connect your work to strategic business objectives.

At M-KOPA, we foster a culture of innovation, impact, and intellectual growth. Our team values both scientific excellence and practical application, creating an environment where your research can flourish and make a difference. You'll be empowered to pursue novel approaches while maintaining a clear focus on outcomes that matter.

Your Growth Journey with Us

As you advance our machine learning capabilities, you'll also have opportunities to grow your own career. You'll develop expertise in applying sophisticated techniques to unique challenges in emerging markets. You'll build relationships with researchers and practitioners across continents. And you'll establish yourself as a thought leader in using data science to drive financial inclusion.

Ready to Conduct Research That Matters?

If you're excited about applying your machine learning expertise to create meaningful change at scale, we want to hear from you. Join M-KOPA and help us continue building transformative financial partnerships through the power of advanced data science.

Your algorithms and insights can transform how millions access and benefit from financial services. Are you ready to lead the way?

This is a fully remote role , you would be working within the following time zone (UTC -1 / UTC+3) with a diverse group of other employees working remotely from locations such as UK, Europe and Africa. You will be reporting to the Head of Data Science.

Why M-KOPA?

At M-KOPA, we empower our people to own their careers through diverse development programs, coaching partnerships, and on-the-job training. We support individual journeys with family-friendly policies, prioritize well-being, and embrace flexibility.

Join us in shaping the future of M-KOPA as we grow together. Explore more at m-kopa.com .

Recognized thrice by the Financial Times as one Africa's fastest growing companies (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 and 2024 , we've served over 5 million customers, unlocking $1.5 billion in cumulative credit for the unbanked across Africa.

Important Notice

M-KOPA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained staff. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

M-KOPA explicitly prohibits the use of Forced or Child Labour and respects the rights of its employees to agree to terms and conditions of employment voluntarily, without coercion, and freely terminate their employment on appropriate notice. M-KOPA shall ensure that its Employees are of legal working age and shall comply with local laws for youth employment or student work, such as internships or apprenticeships.

M-KOPA does not collect/charge any money as a pre-employment or post-employment requirement. This means that we never ask for 'recruitment fees', 'processing fees', 'interview fees', or any other kind of money in exchange for offer letters or interviews at any time during the hiring process.