Researcher, Population Simulation

Aaru; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Visa sponsorship

Relocation support

Equity participation

Job summary

Aaru is hiring a Researcher to design, build, and improve its simulation systems that generate high-fidelity synthetic agents from real-world profiles. You will enable clients to test decisions against realistic populations before committing to them.

The role focuses on grounding agent behavior in real data, using LLMs in hybrid architectures, and evaluating simulation quality against known benchmarks. Strong candidates hold a PhD in a quantitative field and thrive in fast, rigorous research

Qualifications

• Deep experience with synthetic data generation and agent-based modeling.
• Interest in using LLMs as a simulation substrate and producing structured outputs.
• Ability to discuss accuracy vs. distributional fidelity and communicate results.

Responsibilities

• Design and advance synthesis methods for realistic agents from structured and unstructured data.
• Build pipelines delivering population-level distributional accuracy across demographics and behaviors.
• Ground agent behavior in real-world data sources like surveys and datasets.
• Develop hybrid architectures combining LLMs with classical methods from social science.
• Create evaluation frameworks comparing simulations to ground-truth distributions.
• Identify gaps between simulated and observed population behavior and iterate.

Skills

Synthetic data generation

Agent-based modeling

Computational social science

Population simulation

LLM-based simulation

Clear scientific communication

Education

PhD in ML / computational social science / statistics / psychometrics / quantitative field

Tools

None

Job description

ABOUT AARU

Aaru operates at the frontier of predictive intelligence, using AI to simulate and predict human behavior at scale. By generating and deploying instances of artificial intelligence that mirror humans, called agents, Aaru simulates entire populations with unprecedented accuracy. Our partners use Aaru to refine strategic positioning, identify and understand high-value audiences, validate concepts and messaging before launch, optimize pricing decisions, and build a continuously richer understanding of their customers through simulation. We provide organizations with invaluable foresight, empowering them to anticipate outcomes and proactively make the right decisions at the right time, every time.

We're a small, dedicated, mission-driven team and we intend to stay that way. We believe the best work happens when exceptionally talented people are given ownership, trust and the space to operate without bureaucratic friction. We work with urgency and intellectual honesty and expect new team members to match our velocity. We seek individuals who thrive at the frontier, who push beyond conventional limits, who bring curiosity and conviction in equal measure, and who want their work to have demonstrable impact in the world. If you're energized by the idea of a small team doing things that feel impossible, let’s build together.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Researcher at Aaru, you will design, build, and improve the simulation systems that generate high-fidelity synthetic agents from real-world profiles. The Research team is responsible for Aaru's core simulation capabilities — the technology that enables our customers to test decisions against realistic populations before committing to them.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and advance methods for synthesizing realistic agents from structured and unstructured profile data
• Build and evaluate simulation pipelines that produce population-level distributional accuracy across demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral dimensions
• Develop techniques for grounding agent behavior in real-world data sources — surveys, behavioral traces, psychometric instruments, and domain-specific datasets
• Design hybrid architectures that combine large language models with classical methods from computational social science, psychometrics, and survey methodology
• Build rigorous evaluation frameworks that measure simulation quality against known ground-truth distributions (e.g., GSS, census, proprietary panel data)
• Identify and close gaps between simulated and observed population behavior through iterative experimentation

YOU MAY BE A FIT IF

• You have deep experience with synthetic data generation, agent-based modeling, computational social science, or population simulation
• You are interested in using LLMs as a simulation substrate — not just for text generation, but for producing structured behavioral outputs that hold up under statistical scrutiny
• You think carefully about what it means for a simulation to be "accurate" and can articulate the difference between individual-level plausibility and distributional fidelity
• You have a PhD in ML, computational social science, cognitive science, statistics, psychometrics, or a quantitative field — or equivalent depth from industry research
• You communicate clearly about what's working and what isn't, including when results are null or ambiguous
• You move fast and are comfortable producing work at high velocity without sacrificing rigor

STRONG CANDIDATES MAY ALSO

• Have built systems that generate or evaluate synthetic populations at scale
• Have experience with survey methodology, psychometrics, or demographic modeling
• Have published work on agent-based simulation, synthetic data, or LLM-based behavioral modeling
• Have worked in a high-velocity research environment where shipping matters as much as rigor

LOCATION

This role is based in New York City. Aaru is an in-person company, working 5 days a week in office. Candidates are expected to be located within the New York City metropolitan area or open to relocation.

BENEFITS

At Aaru, we take care of our people. In addition to a competitive base salary and equity participation, we offer comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, visa sponsorship and relocation support, and various other benefits and perks.