Research Scientist, Compilers and Programming Languages

Basis Research Institute; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

An AI research organization is seeking a Research Scientist to advance efforts in understanding programming languages design and computational systems. The candidate will work collaboratively on significant societal challenges, leveraging their PhD and exceptional software capabilities to innovate in reasoning technologies. This full-time position is ideally located in New York City with competitive salary and bonus opportunities.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to conduct first-class scientific research.
• Experience publishing in venues such as PLDI, OOPSLA, or POPL.
• Significant technical achievements within programming languages research.
• Excitement about solving real-world problems with societal impact.
• Significant technical achievements in PL research and engineering.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain programming languages tools for core reasoning technology.
• Develop computational theories of intelligence.
• Collaborate with domain experts on scientific challenges.
• Publish and present findings in journals and conferences (optional).
• Contribute to the culture and direction of Basis.

Skills

Exceptional technical depth

Builder's mindset

Scientific rigor

Programming languages design

Ability to write excellent software

Education

PhD or equivalent experience

Tools

Compiler design

Program analysis

SAT/SMT solvers

Probabilistic programming

Job description

About Basis

Basis is a nonprofit applied AIresearch organization with two mutually reinforcing goals.

The first is tounderstand and build intelligence.

The second is toadvance society’s ability to solve intractable problems.

To achieve these goals, we’re building both a new technological foundation that draws inspiration from how humans reason, and a new kind of collaborative organization that puts human values first.

About the Role

Research scientists advance Basis’ efforts to develop a deeper understanding of the conceptual, mathematical, and computational principles of intelligence.

Research scientists at Basis are distinguished by the following traits:

1. Exceptional technical depth—solid mathematical and computational foundations.
2. A builder's mindset—ability to design, construct, and refine complex systems from foundational principles.
3. Scientific rigor—rigorous, high-quality, robust science, without fear of tinkering, making mistakes, and exploring radically different ideas in order to get there.

Basis is a collaborative effort, both internally and with our external partners; we are looking for people who enjoy working with others on problems larger than ones they can tackle alone.

Programming Languages Research Scientists

This role targets experts in programming languages design, implementation, and analysis. Research scientists will help design and implement the core computational reasoning systems that Basis is developing.

The core areas of PL research encompass compiler design, partial evaluation, program analysis, abstract interpretation, and program transformation. These are developed within the context of building reasoning systems. Consequently, research scientists will also engage with topics such as probabilistic programming, automatic differentiation, and SAT/SMT solvers, among others.

We expect you to:

• Have a PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant area.
• Have demonstrated an ability to conduct first-class scientific research, published in venues such as PLDI, OOPSLA, and POPL, or in technical reports.
• Have demonstrated an ability to write excellent software.
• Be excited about solving real-world problems and having a positive societal impact.
• Have demonstrated significant technical achievements within PL research and engineering. Examples include:
  • You've designed the full stack of a novel programming language, all the way from a formalized semantics to an optimized compiler.
  • You've contributed heavily to the compiler infrastructure of a machine learning or statistics framework, such as PyTorch, Stan, or Jax.
  • You've built a program analysis technique that has helped identify bugs or inefficiencies in a real code base.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain programming languages tools for Basis' core reasoning technology.
• Develop and explore computational theories of intelligence, including reasoning, learning, and decision-making.
• Collaborate with domain experts on Basis scientific and societal challenge problems.
• Publish and present findings in journals and conferences (optional).
• Contribute to the culture and direction of Basis.

Role Details

Exceptional candidates who may not meet all of the following criteria are still encouraged to apply.

• FT/PT: This is a full-time position
• Hours: While we prioritize in-person collaboration for its benefits to creative work, there is a degree of flexibility in your working hours. Be prepared to attend multi-day Basis-wide in-person events.
• Location: This role is in-person in either New York City or Cambridge, MA.
• Salary range: Competitive salary and bonuses

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