Member of Technical Staff - Research

Emerald AI; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Impactful work

Equity

Medical insurance

Dental & Vision

401(k) matching

Flexible location

WFH 2 days/week

Investors

Job summary

Emerald AI seeks a highly technical Member of Technical Staff to invent and build power-aware software systems for AI infrastructure. You will work at the intersection of AI systems, distributed computing, cloud infrastructure, and energy-aware optimization, translating research into production deployments.

This role requires hands-on engineering, production-quality software, and the ability to scale prototypes across thousands of GPUs while collaborating with product and customer teams to drive

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in one or more: ML systems, AI infrastructure, distributed systems, cloud computing, systems for AI or HPC, or performance optimization.
• Excellent software engineering skills with experience in large software systems using C++, Python, Go, or Rust.
• Experience building research prototypes or large-scale production code.
• Strong publication record or demonstrated history of delivering impactful technical innovations.
• Ability to independently drive research from idea through implementation and evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Design and build novel systems for power-aware AI infrastructure, distributed computing, and large-scale cloud platforms.
• Develop production-quality software, research prototypes, and experimental infrastructure for real-world AI data centers.
• Apply ML, optimization, systems, or control techniques to AI infrastructure and cloud operations.
• Design, implement, and evaluate algorithms on large-scale experimental platforms and production deployments.
• Collaborate with product and customer teams to transition research innovations into customer-facing products.
• Collaborate with industry and academic partners on cutting-edge research initiatives.
• Publish high-impact research in leading systems/AI conferences when appropriate.
• Help shape Emerald AI's long-term technical roadmap and identify new research directions with commercial impact.

Skills

Machine learning systems

AI infrastructure

Distributed systems

Cloud computing

Systems for AI/HPC

Performance optimization

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

C++

Python

Go

Rust

Job description

About Emerald AI

We’re at a pivotal moment for AI and energy. Demand for compute is skyrocketing, but power constraints are becoming a critical bottleneck. Emerald AI sits at the intersection of these two worlds, enabling AI data centers to scale without overwhelming the grid.

About Emerald AI

We’re at a pivotal moment for AI and energy. Demand for compute is skyrocketing, but power constraints are becoming a critical bottleneck. Emerald AI sits at the intersection of these two worlds, enabling AI data centers to scale without overwhelming the grid.

Our Emerald Conductor software platform makes data centers flexible and responsive, allowing them to adjust power usage dynamically. This unlocks massive AI growth without major new infrastructure, while also strengthening the grid and supporting the expansion of renewable energy.

We’re a team of experts across AI, cloud, software, and energy—on a mission to scale AI sustainably. We’re backed by leading investors and partners including Radical Ventures and NVIDIA.

Learn more about our vision, team, and backers at https://www.emeraldai.co/.

About The Role

As a Member of Technical Staff, you will help invent and build the next generation of software systems that enable AI infrastructure to operate intelligently under power constraints. You will work at the intersection of AI systems, distributed computing, cloud infrastructure, and energy‑aware optimization, developing technologies that move from research prototypes into production deployments.

This is a highly technical role for researchers who enjoy building real systems. We are looking for individuals who combine strong research skills with hands‑on software engineering experience and are excited to develop production‑quality infrastructure, large‑scale prototypes, and experimental platforms that operate on thousands of GPUs.

You will collaborate closely with your teammates, product, and customer teams to translate new ideas into deployed capabilities while publishing cutting‑edge research that advances the state of the art in AI infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build novel systems for power‑aware AI infrastructure, distributed computing, and large‑scale cloud platforms.
• Develop production‑quality software, research prototypes, and experimental infrastructure that can be deployed in real‑world AI data centers.
• Apply machine learning, optimization, systems, or control techniques to challenging problems in AI infrastructure and cloud operations.
• Design, implement, and evaluate algorithms using large‑scale experimental platforms and production deployments.
• Partner with product and customer facing teams to transition research innovations into customer‑facing products.
• Collaborate with partners across industry and academia on cutting‑edge research initiatives.
• Publish high‑impact research in leading systems and AI conferences when appropriate.
• Help shape Emerald AI's long‑term technical roadmap and identify new research directions with commercial impact.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in one or more of the following:
  • Machine learning systems
  • AI infrastructure
  • Distributed systems
  • Cloud computing
  • Systems for AI or HPC
  • Performance optimization
• Excellent software engineering skills with experience developing large software systems in languages such as C++, Python, Go, or Rust.
• Experience building research prototypes or with large‑scale production code.
• Strong publication record or demonstrated history of delivering impactful technical innovations.
• Ability to independently drive research from idea through implementation and evaluation.

Preferred requirements

• Experience deploying systems in production cloud or distributed environments.
• Experience working with large codebases, production software, or open‑source infrastructure.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Slurm, distributed training/inference frameworks, or large‑scale AI infrastructure.
• Experience with GPU systems, accelerators, or performance analysis tools.
• Experience in optimization, control systems, resource scheduling, or systems performance.
• Experience with power management, energy‑efficient computing, sustainability, or data center infrastructure.
• Experience taking research innovations from prototype to production.

What we offer

• Make an impact. Solve the AI power bottleneck and shape how data centers scale sustainably.
• Join a world‑class team of AI, cloud, software, and energy experts in a collaborative, low‑ego environment.
• Build from 0→1. Influence strategy, GTM, org design, and customer/investor engagement from day one.
• Competitive pay + equity. Stock options let you share in the value you help create.
• Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) matching.
• Flexible location. Work from D.C., Boston, or the Bay Area, with 2 WFH day/week.
• Backed by top investors, including Radical Ventures and NVIDIA.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, and any other protected ground of discrimination under applicable human rights legislation.

Emerald AI strives to respect the dignity and independence of people with disabilities and is committed to giving them the same opportunity to succeed as all other employees.

Inclusiveness is core to our culture at Emerald AI, and we strive to ensure you get the most from your interview experience. Emerald AI makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to the Talent team.