Senior Research Engineer (Physics Simulation)

Phaidra; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% remote

Equity

Competitive salary

Flexible stipends

MacBook

Job summary

Phaidra is seeking a Research Engineer to develop physics-based simulators for industrial AI-driven control systems. You will translate complex thermo-fluid systems into computational models and build robust tools used by our research and product teams.

Based remotely with teams across regions, you will collaborate with researchers to define specs, validate models, and contribute to ML-integrated simulation pipelines to optimize industrial performance.

Qualifications

• 3-4 years of research or applied engineering experience.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics with HVAC knowledge.
• Experience building simulation tools using numerical methods.
• Proficiency in Python and scientific computing libraries.
• Familiarity with modeling frameworks such as Modelica, OpenFOAM, COMSOL, EnergyPlus, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Develop physics-based simulators for industrial control systems.
• Translate complex physical systems into computational models and tools.
• Collaborate with researchers to define specs and performance metrics.
• Contribute to integrating simulation tools with ML workflows.

Skills

Thermodynamics

Fluid mechanics

Python programming

Academic reading

Research mindset

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical/Chemical Engineering or Applied Physics

Tools

Modelica

OpenFOAM

COMSOL

EnergyPlus

NumPy

SciPy

Pandas

Docker

Git

Job description

About Phaidra

Phaidra is building the future of industrial automation.

The world today is filled with static, monolithic infrastructure. Factories, power plants, buildings, etc. operate the same they’ve operated for decades — because the controls programming is hard-coded. Thousands of lines of rules and heuristics that define how the machines interact with each other. The result of all this hard-coding is that facilities are frozen in time, unable to adapt to their environment while their performance slowly degrades.

Phaidra creates AI-powered control systems for the industrial sector, enabling industrial facilities to automatically learn and improve over time. Specifically:

• We use reinforcement learning algorithms to provide this intelligence, converting raw sensor data into high-value actions and decisions.
• We focus onindustrialapplications, which tend to be well-sensorized with measurable KPIs —perfect for reinforcement learning.
• We enable domain experts (our users) toconfigurethe AI controlsystems (i.e. agents) without writing code. They define what they want their AI agents to do, and we do it for them.

Our team has a track record of applying AI to some of the toughest problems. From achieving superhuman performance with DeepMind’s AlphaGo, to reducing the energy required to cool Google’s Data Centers by 40%, we deeply understand AI and how to apply it in production for massive impact.

Phaidra’s ability to achieve its mission is determined by our ability to work together — as defined by our core values: Agency, Velocity , Craft , and Truth. We seek individuals who embody these values, as they are instrumental in ensuring our team consistently delivers excellence and fosters an engaging and supportive culture

Phaidra is based in the USA, but we are 100% remote with no physical office. We hire employees internationally with the help of our partner OysterHR. Our team is currently located throughout the USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and India.

Who You Are

Phaidra is looking for a curious and pragmatic Research Engineer with a passion for physics and a knack for writing robust code. You will work within our research team to develop advanced physics-based simulators, with a particular focus on thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. These simulators are key to enabling intelligent control systems that optimize performance in industrial environments.

You thrive at the intersection of science and engineering—able to translate complex physical systems into computational models and build tools that power cutting-edge AI systems.

We are seeking teammates who are based in Spain, Portugal, or the UK.

Responsibilities

• As a Research Engineer working on Physics Simulators, you will:

Key Qualifications

• 3-4 years of experience in research or applied engineering.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics and HVAC systems.
• Experience building simulation tools using numerical methods (e.g., finite difference, ODE/PDE solvers).
• Proficiency in Python and scientific computing libraries (e.g., NumPy, SciPy, SymPy, pandas).
• Familiarity with simulation or modeling frameworks (e.g., Modelica, OpenFOAM, COMSOL, EnergyPlus, or custom-built tools).
• Comfortable reading academic papers and implementing physics models from scratch.
• Share our company values: Agency, Velocity, Craft, Truth

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Knowledge of controls and optimization techniques (e.g., PID, MPC, or RL).
• Experience with Modelica environments (e.g., OpenModelica, MapleSim, Dymola, Amesim, Modelon)
• Experience integrating simulation tools with machine learning workflows.
• Experience working with large-scale systems or infrastructure in energy, HVAC, or industrial automation. Familiarity with power systems is a plus.
• Familiarity with modern software engineering practices (Docker, Git, CI/CD).

Our Stack

• Python, NumPy, SciPy, pandas, SymPy
• PyTorch, Ray, scikit-learn
• Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
• GCP

Onboarding

In your first 30 days…

• You’ll onboard into Phaidra’s product and research ecosystem.
• You’ll study our current modeling work, simulation tools, and customer use cases.
• You’ll set up your environment and begin replicating existing physics models in code.

By your first 60 days…

• You’ll begin contributing to one or more simulator development projects.
• You’ll work closely with researchers to define simulation specs and performance metrics.
• You’ll review field data to inform model accuracy and validation criteria.

By your first 90 days…

• You’ll be actively developing, validating, and improving simulation modules.
• You’ll have results from early experiments and have contributed code to core libraries.
• You’ll be shaping the direction of simulator design and pushing the envelope of physics + AI integration.

General Interview Process

All of our interviews are held via Google Meet, and an active camera connection is required.

1. Meeting with People Operations team member (30 minutes)
2. Meeting with Hiring Manager (30 minutes)
3. Modeling and Simulation Interview (90 minutes)
4. HVAC Interview (45 minutes)
5. Culture fit interview with Phaidra’s co-founders (30 minutes)

We use Kula as our hiring platform. During your interview, Kula’s AI Notetaker will record a transcript of the meeting to allow the interviewer to focus on the interview, not the note taking.

Base Salary

UK Residents:

• Tier 1 (London): 101,014 GBP - 168,356 GBP
• Tier 2 (Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol): 95,072 GBP - 158,453 GBP
• Tier 3 (Smaller cities / rural areas): 89,130 GBP - 148,550 GBP

Spain Residents:

• Tier 1 (Madrid, Barcelona): €89,957 - €149,929
• Tier 2 (Valencia, Seville, Bilbao): €83,037 - €138,396
• Tier 3 (Smaller cities/ rural areas): €76,118 - €126,863

Portugal Residents:

• Tier 1 (Lisbon, Porto): €94,109 - €156,848
• Tier 2 (Coimbra, Braga, Aveiro): €89,957 - €149,929
• Tier 3 (Smaller cities/ rural areas): €83,037- €138,396

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for equity.Final salary will be determined based on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, expertise, education and location. In some cases, final compensation may fall outside the posted range. Salary ranges are regularly reviewed and may be adjusted in response to market trends.

Benefits & Perks

• Fast-paced, team-oriented environment where your work directly shapes the company’s direction.
• We are a 100% remote company.
• Competitive compensation & meaningful equity.
• Outsized responsibilities & professional development.
• Training is foundational; functional, customer immersion, and development training.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (exact benefits vary by region).
• Unlimited paid time off, with a required minimum of 20 days per year.
• Paid parental leave (exact benefits vary by region).
• Flexible stipends to support your workspace, well-being, and continued professional development.
• Company MacBook.

Please note: Not all of Phaidra’s benefits and perks listed above apply to temporary employees such as interns.

On being Remote

We take a thoughtful and intentional approach to remote collaboration. Inspired by pioneers like GitLab, we embrace proven best practices to foster an exceptional remote work environment. Our culture is documentation-first, and we prioritize asynchronous communication to support focus and flexibility across time zones. While we value independence, we stay closely connected through tools like Slack and video conferencing. Weekly all-hands meetings help us align and build strong relationships, and we regularly host virtual team-building activities and social events to maintain a sense of camaraderie.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Phaidra is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Phaidra is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. We welcome diversity and strive to maintain an inclusive environment for all employees. If you need assistance with completing the application process, please contact us at [e-mail].

E-Verify Notice

Phaidra participates in E-Verify, an employment authorization database provided through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA). As required by law, we will provide the SSA and, if necessary, the DHS, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization for those residing in the United States.

Additional information about E-Verify can be found here.

#LI-Remote

Phaidra only hires individuals who are legally authorized to work in the specified location(s) above.

We do not provide employment sponsorship. Candidates requiring visa sponsorship, either now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.

Candidates who advance beyond the initial screening stage will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in order to continue through the interview process.

All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of employment authorization verification and applicable background checks, in accordance with local laws and company policies.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITERS.