Research Engineer (Physics Simulation)

About Phaidra

Phaidra is building the future of industrial automation.

The world today is filled with static, monolithic infrastructure. Factories, power plants, buildings, etc. operate the same theyve operated for decades — because the controls programming is hardcoded. Thousands of lines of rules and heuristics that define how the machines interact with each other. The result of all this hardcoding is that facilities are frozen in time, unable to adapt to their environment while their performance slowly degrades.

Phaidra creates AIpowered control systems for the industrial sector, enabling industrial facilities to automatically learn and improve over time. Specifically:

• We use reinforcement learning algorithms to provide this intelligence, converting raw sensor data into highvalue actions and decisions.
• We focus on industrial applications, which tend to be wellsensorized with measurable KPIs — perfect for reinforcement learning.
• We enable domain experts (our users) to configure the AI control systems (i.e. agents) without writing code. They define what they want their AI agents to do, and we do it for them.

• Our team has a track record of applying AI to some of the toughest problems. From achieving superhuman performance with DeepMinds AlphaGo, to reducing the energy required to cool Googles Data Centers by 40%, we deeply understand AI and how to apply it in production for massive impact.

  Phaidra’s ability to achieve its mission is determined by our ability to work together — as defined by our core values: Transparency, Collaboration, Operational Excellence, Ownership, and Empathy. We seek individuals who embody these values, as they are instrumental in ensuring our team consistently delivers excellence and fosters an engaging and supportive culture

  Phaidra is based in the USA, but we are 100% remote with no physical office. We hire employees internationally with the help of our partner, OysterHR. Our team is currently located throughout the USA, Canada, UK, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and India.

  Who You Are

  Phaidra is looking for a curious and pragmatic Research Engineer with a passion for physics and a knack for writing robust code. You will work within our research team to develop advanced physicsbased simulators, with a particular focus on thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. These simulators are key to enabling intelligent control systems that optimize performance in industrial environments.

  You thrive at the intersection of science and engineering—able to translate complex physical systems into computational models and build tools that power cuttingedge AI systems.

  We are seeking a team member located within one of the following areas: UK (preferred), USA, or Canada.

  • In the United States, we accept applicants located in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington.
  • In Canada, we accept applicants located in the following provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

  • Responsibilities

    As a Research Engineer working on Physics Simulators, you will:

    • Design and implement physicsbased simulation models for thermodynamic and fluid systems.
    • Translate governing equations and firstprinciples models into performant numerical code.
    • Collaborate with AI researchers to integrate simulators with reinforcement learning agents and optimization pipelines.
    • Validate simulators against realworld data and iterate to improve fidelity and stability.
    • Be a power user and contributor to Phaidra’s simulation and AI platform, enabling scalable, reusable experimentation.
    • Document and communicate technical ideas clearly across teams.

    • Key Qualifications

      • 1+ years of experience in research or applied engineering.
      • Bachelors or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field.
      • Strong understanding of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics and HVAC systems.
      • Experience building simulation tools using numerical methods (e.g., finite difference, ODEPDE solvers).
      • Proficiency in Python and scientific computing libraries (e.g., NumPy, SciPy, SymPy, pandas).
      • Familiarity with simulation or modeling frameworks (e.g., Modelica, OpenFOAM, COMSOL, EnergyPlus, or custombuilt tools).
      • Comfortable reading academic papers and implementing physics models from scratch.
      • Share our company values: Collaboration, Transparency, Operational Excellence, Ownership, and Empathy.

      • Preferred Skills & Experience

        • Knowledge of controls and optimization techniques (e.g., PID, MPC, or RL).
        • Experience integrating simulation tools with machine learning workflows.
        • Experience working with largescale systems or infrastructure in energy, HVAC, or industrial automation.
        • Familiarity with modern software engineering practices (Docker, Git, CICD).

        • Our Stack

          • Python, NumPy, SciPy, pandas, SymPy
          • PyTorch, Ray, scikitlearn
          • Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
          • GCP

          • Onboarding

            In your first 30 days...

            • You’ll onboard into Phaidra’s product and research ecosystem.
            • You’ll study our current modeling work, simulation tools, and customer use cases.
            • You’ll set up your environment and begin replicating existing physics models in code

            • By your first 60 days...

              • You’ll begin contributing to one or more simulator development projects.
              • You’ll work closely with researchers to define simulation specs and performance metrics.
              • You’ll review field data to inform model accuracy and validation criteria.

              • By your first 90 days...

                • You’ll be actively developing, validating, and improving simulation modules.
                • You’ll have results from early experiments and have contributed code to core libraries.
                • You’ll be shaping the direction of simulator design and pushing the envelope of physics + AI integration

                • General Interview Process

                  All of our interviews are held via Google Meet, and an active camera connection is required.

                  1. Meeting with People Operations team member (30 minutes)
                  3. Initial Meeting with Hiring Manager (30 minutes)
                  5. Meeting with a member of the Machine Learning Application Engineering team (60 minutes)
                  7. Deep Dive with Hiring Manager (60 minutes)
                  9. Culture fit interview with Phaidra’s cofounders (30 minutes)

                  10. Base Salary

                      • United States Residents
                        • San FranciscoNew York Metro: 112,000 USD 168,000 USD
                        • Other cities: 92,800 USD 156,000 USD
                        • • Canada Residents
                            • TorontoVancouver: 106,400 CAD 170,400 CAD
                            • Other cities: 83,200 CAD 136,800 CAD
                            • • UK Residents
                                • 76,000 GBP 114,000 GBP

                                • • This position will also include equity.

                                    These are best faith estimates of the base salary range for this position. Multiple factors such as experience, education, level, and location are taken into account when determining compensation.

                                    Benefits & Perks

                                    • Fastpaced and teamoriented environment where you will be instrumental in the direction of the company.
                                    • Phaidra is a 100% remote company with a digital nomad policy.
                                    • Competitive compensation & equity.
                                    • Outsized responsibilities & professional development.
                                    • Training is foundational; functional, customer immersion, and development training.
                                    • Medical, dental, and vision insurance (exact benefits vary by region).
                                    • Unlimited paid time off, with a minimum of 20 days off per year requirement.
                                    • Paid parental leave (exact benefits vary by region).
                                    • Home office setup allowance, coworking space stipend, and company MacBook.

                                    • *Please note that Phaidra’s benefits and perks listed above do not apply to temporary employees such as interns.

                                      On being Remote

                                      We are thoughtful about remote collaboration. We look to the pioneers like Gitlab for inspiration and best practices to create a stellar remote work environment. We have a documentationfirst culture and actively practice asynchronous communication in everything we do. Our team stays connected through tools like Slack and video chat. We have dedicated allhands meetings weekly to build strong relationships, and we hold virtual team building events as well as virtual socials.

                                      Equal Opportunity Employment

                                      Phaidra is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Phaidra is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national originethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. We welcome diversity and strive to maintain an inclusive environment for all employees. If you need assistance with completing the application process, please contact us at hiring@phaidra.ai.

                                      EVerify Notice

                                      Phaidra participates in EVerify, an employment authorization database provided through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA). As required by law, we will provide the SSA and, if necessary, the DHS, with information from each new employee’s Form I9 to confirm work authorization for those residing in the United States.

                                      Additional information about EVerify can be found here.

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                                      WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITERS.