Research Engineer (Physics Simulation), London, England, United Kingdom

Research Engineer (Physics Simulation)

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About Phaidra

Phaidra is building the future of industrial automation.

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 on industrial applications, which tend to be well-sensorized with measurable KPIs — perfect for reinforcement learning.
We enable domain experts (our users) to configure the AI control systems (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: Transparency, Collaboration, Operational Excellence, Ownership, and Empathy. 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, Italy, 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 a team member located within one of the following areas: UK (preferred), USA, or Canada.

In the United States, we accept applicants located in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington.
In Canada, we accept applicants located in the following provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

Responsibilities

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

Design and implement physics-based simulation models for thermodynamic and fluid systems.
Translate governing equations and first-principles models into performant numerical code.
Collaborate with AI researchers to integrate simulators with reinforcement learning agents and optimization pipelines.
Validate simulators against real-world data and iterate to improve fidelity and stability.
Be a power user and contributor to Phaidra's simulation and AI platform, enabling scalable, reusable experimentation.
Document and communicate technical ideas clearly across teams.

Key Qualifications

1+ 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: Collaboration, Transparency, Operational Excellence, Ownership, and Empathy.

Preferred Skills & Experience

Knowledge of controls and optimization techniques (e.g., PID, MPC, or RL).
Experience integrating simulation tools with machine learning workflows.
Experience working with large-scale systems or infrastructure in energy, HVAC, or industrial automation.
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.

Meeting with People Operations team member (30 minutes)
Initial Meeting with Hiring Manager (30 minutes)
Meeting with a member of the Machine Learning Application Engineering team (60 minutes)
Deep Dive with Hiring Manager (60 minutes)
Culture fit interview with Phaidra's co-founders (30 minutes)

Base Salary

United States Residents

San Francisco/New York Metro: 112,000 USD - 168,000 USD
Other cities: 92,800 USD - 156,000 USD

Canada Residents

Toronto/Vancouver: 106,400 CAD - 170,400 CAD
Other cities: 83,200 CAD - 136,800 CAD

UK Residents

76,000 GBP - 114,000 GBP

This position will also include equity.

These are best faith estimates of the base salary range for this position. Multiple factors such as experience, education, level, and location are taken into account when determining compensation.

Benefits & Perks

Fast-paced and team-oriented environment where you will be instrumental in the direction of the company.
Phaidra is a 100% remote company with a digital nomad policy.
Competitive compensation & 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 minimum of 20 days off per year requirement.
Paid parental leave (exact benefits vary by region).
Home office setup allowance, coworking space stipend, and company MacBook.
Please note that Phaidra's benefits and perks listed above do not apply to temporary employees such as interns.

On being Remote

We are thoughtful about remote collaboration. We look to the pioneers - like Gitlab - for inspiration and best practices to create a stellar remote work environment. We have a documentation-first culture and actively practice asynchronous communication in everything we do. Our team stays connected through tools like Slack and video chat. We have dedicated all-hands meetings weekly to build strong relationships, and we hold virtual team building events as well as virtual socials.

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 hiring@phaidra.ai.

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.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITERS.

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Location:: London, England, United Kingdom
Salary:: £150,000 - £200,000
Job Type:: FullTime
Category:: Engineering

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