Lead UX Researcher, AI Generation Engine

SandboxAQ; United States; Remote; USD 204,000 - 286,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in AI solutions seeks a Lead UX Researcher to shape user experiences for innovative AI-driven products. You will lead research projects, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and advocate for user needs in product development. This role offers the chance to work in a dynamic environment focused on impactful AI applications across various domains.

Benefits

Stock options

Generous learning opportunities

Medical/dental/vision

PTO (summer and winter breaks)

401(k) plans

Qualifications

• 8+ years in User Experience Research, focusing on complex software.
• Ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative research.
• Experience in AI / ML space.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end user research projects and deliver impactful recommendations.
• Champion understanding of user needs in quantitative AI applications.
• Translate complex findings into actionable insights.

Skills

User Experience Research

Communication

Storytelling

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Education

Advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.)

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Lead UX Researcher, AI Generation Engine

Remote, USA; Remote, Canada; Remote, Europe

About SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ is a high-growth company delivering AI solutions that address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) power advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, cybersecurity, and other sectors.

We are a global team that is tech-focused and includes experts in AI, chemistry, cybersecurity, physics, mathematics, medicine, engineering, and other specialties. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth capital-backed company in 2022, funded by leading investors and supported by a braintrust of industry leaders.

At SandboxAQ, we’ve cultivated an environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and impact. By investing deeply in our people, we’re building a thriving, global workforce poised to tackle the world's epic challenges. Join us to advance your career in pursuit of an inspiring mission, in a community of like-minded people who value entrepreneurialism, ownership, and transformative impact.

About the Team

The SandboxAQ AI Generation Engine (SAIGE) team's mission is to accelerate SandboxAQ’s mission of “Deep Impact at Scale," with a focus on quantitative AI and rapid prototyping. More specifically, the SAIGE team aims to:

• Build next-generation AI capabilities that establish SandboxAQ as the global pacesetter in quantitative AI.
• Identify, incubate, prototype, and launch new AI products for high-potential and longer-term use cases, proving (or disproving) their viability as high-impact, highly profitable business lines.
• Support internal AI teams and help build new AI applications and infrastructures across SandboxAQ’s business units.

The SAIGE team operates on the following principles: Prototype with Velocity, Explore Boldly, Fail Smart, Learn Fast, Look Forward, and Share Knowledge.

About the Role

This team's mission is to accelerate SandboxAQ’s mission of “Deep Impact at Scale," with a focus on quantitative AI and rapid prototyping. We build next-generation AI capabilities, identify and incubate new AI products for high-potential use cases, and support internal AI teams.

As a Lead User Experience Researcher on this team, you will play a critical role in identifying customer needs and shaping the user experience of novel AI-driven products and prototypes. You will be responsible for designing and executing research strategies that provide actionable insights to guide product development, ensuring we build impactful and user-centered solutions. This role requires a seasoned researcher who can navigate ambiguity, work with emerging technologies, and is open to learning about new domains / industries.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and execute end-to-end user research projects, from defining research questions and methodologies to synthesizing findings and delivering impactful recommendations.
• Champion a deep understanding of user needs, pain points, and behaviors related to quantitative AI and its applications in new domains (e.g., finance, agriculture, nuclear fusion).
• Partner closely with product managers, engineers, and business developers & strategists to identify research opportunities and embed user-centered thinking throughout the technology and product development lifecycle.
• Develop and implement a variety of research methods, including but not limited to user interviews, usability testing, surveys, contextual inquiries, and diary studies, adapting approaches for rapid prototyping and iterative development cycles.
• Create research-fidelity prototypes for directional concept testing and feedback.
• Use and discover new AI tools to accelerate, broaden, and deepen research and discovery datapoints (quant & qual).
• Bring a strategic lens paired with tactical execution to help the team efficiently define, test, and iterate.
• Translate complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives that inform product strategy, design decisions, and feature prioritization.
• Contribute to the establishment of UXR best practices within this team and across SandboxAQ in partnership with the Head of Design & User Research
• Act as a key player in identifying and validating new high-potential and longer-term use cases for AI products.
• Proactively scan the horizon for emerging UXR trends and methodologies relevant to AI and rapidly evolving tech landscapes.
• Foster a culture of "Fail Smart, Learn Fast" by designing research that embraces experimentation and extracts valuable learnings from both successful and unsuccessful prototypes.

About You

• +8 years of experience in User Experience Research, with a significant portion dedicated to complex software, enterprise solutions, or emerging technologies.
• Proven ability to independently plan, execute, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative research, delivering impactful insights that drive product decisions.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate research findings and their implications to diverse audiences, including technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Know how to use current, relevant AI tools and methods in your own work.
• Experience working in fast-paced, agile environments and comfort with ambiguity and iteration.
• Passion for understanding user needs and advocating for the user in product development.
• Experience in AI / ML space (e.g., agents, LLMs)

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience conducting research and/or product development in the following domains: life sciences, finance, drug discovery, energy, agriculture.
• Significant UXR experience for AI-first products, including but not limited to LLM-based products and interfaces
• Experience establishing or scaling UXR practices within a team or organization.
• Experience in early stage design (Interaction, Service), contributing to or owning.
• Experience working with geographically distributed teams.
• Advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.) in a relevant field.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is expected to be $204K - $286K per year. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. This role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses and equity.

SandboxAQ welcomes all.

We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where we have zero tolerance for discrimination. We invest in our employees' personal and professional growth. Once you work with us, you can’t go back to normalcy because great breakthroughs come from great teams and we are the best in AI and quantum technology.

We offer competitive salaries, stock options depending on employment type, generous learning opportunities, medical/dental/vision, family planning/fertility, PTO (summer and winter breaks), financial wellness resources, 401(k) plans, and more.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

Accommodations: We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles. If you need such an accommodation, please let a member of our Recruiting team know.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at SandboxAQ? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Preferred First Name

Email *

Phone *

Location (City) *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

School * Select...

Degree Select...

The job for which you are applying may require the ability to access export-controlled technology or data. The following questions are for the sole purpose of complying with U.S. export control laws. * Select...

To comply with applicable laws and regulations, certain roles at SandboxAQ require export control licenses, security clearances, and/or may be subject to government contractual restrictions. Your employment with SandboxAQ is contingent on your and SandboxAQ’s ability to obtain any such licenses, clearances, and/or to comply with applicable government contractual obligations. SandboxAQ will review and assess the feasibility and likelihood of complying with any such applicable requirements with the impact to business needs and operations in the interim. By selecting “yes”, you agree that you understand and acknowledge these requirements. * Select...

Please list the country in which you most recently obtained lawful permanent residency. *

Are you legally authorized to work in the country of the job you are applying for? * Select...

Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status)? * Select...

LinkedIn Profile

Website

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in SandboxAQ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.