Member of Technical Staff, Engineering

About FirstPrinciples
FirstPrinciples is a research organization building AI infrastructure for discovery in fundamental science. Currently, our work focuses on building systems like Theo, the AI Physicist, which is a domain-specialized system for research in fundamental physics.

We’re a fast-growing, remote-first team of builders, researchers, engineers, and thinkers working across Canada, the US, the UK, and expanding globally. What brings us together is a shared curiosity about how the universe works, and a belief that we can build systems that help us explore it more effectively.

We spend our time working on questions that don’t have clear answers, like how to design AI that can reason through scientific problems, and how the scientific process as a whole might evolve. This is work that sits somewhere between creativity and rigorous thinking, and often requires comfort with ambiguity and iteration. If you’re someone who enjoys tackling big, abstract problems and exploring ideas that don’t yet have a defined path forward, you’ll likely find the work here interesting.

Job Description:
FirstPrinciples is seeking skilled and motivated developers to join our team. In this role, you will play a crucial role in building technology tools to accelerate research in theoretical physics. You will work on developing our AI Physicist, leveraging gen AI tools like ChatGPT, and exploring and building new technologies to drive breakthroughs in theoretical physics.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the design and coding of the AI Physicist, a closed-loop research engine, including the development of tools to support hypotheses generation, peer review, physics based simulations, validation against experimental data and self-revision, among other things. 

• Write safe, testable code and set up automated unit tests to catch errors and apply lessons from recent research findings. 

• Explore and integrate SOTA tools into existing platforms to enhance model capabilities. These tools can provide advanced analysis and insights, furthering the understanding of theoretical physics.

• Add self-improvement features that pass automated checks before deployment.

• Track runtime metrics and suggest optimizations that keep the project efficient and sustainable.

• Develop custom tech solutions tailored to the specific needs of researchers. This may include developing algorithms, data analysis tools, or other software to accelerate research in specific areas of theoretical physics.

• Apply knowledge of product development principles and practices to ensure that the tools developed are useful and effective for theoretical physicists worldwide.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to define requirements, prioritize features, and ensure successful delivery.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• Experience with common software architecture patterns and best practices.

• Proven experience with web development and API integrations is essential.

• Excellent programming skills are a must.

• Proficiency in gen AI tools and their applications (e.g., ChatGPT, AlphaCode, Claude) is necessary.

• Strong communication skills are crucial to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

• Knowledge of theoretical physics or a strong interest in the field is a plus.

• Familiarity with cloud technologies and infrastructure is a plus.

• A passion for advancing knowledge and science advocacy is highly desirable.

Application Process:

• Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume, a cover letter detailing their qualifications and vision for the role, and references. Please include “Member of Technical Staff, Engineering" in the cover letter.

Join us at FirstPrinciples and be a part of a transformative journey where science drives progress and unlocks the potential of humanity.