Research Scientist/Engineer

The role

You will develop foundational principles of Artificial General Intelligence by researching brain-like world models. This involves designing experiments for high-level cognition and collaborating with neuroscientists and software engineers to build scalable systems.

What you will do

• Develop and implement new architectures and learning algorithms for neuroscience-based world models
• Design experiments to test hypotheses regarding high-level cognition, causal representations, sensory-motor integration, active inference, and unsupervised learning
• Work alongside neuroscientists and software engineers to translate abstract mathematical frameworks into scalable systems
• Help innovate new publication models for speedy dissemination, open source code releases, free open access, and impact measurements

Required qualifications

• Strong foundations in deep learning, graphical models, and information theory
• Expert-level skills in deep learning frameworks (PyTorch/JAX)
• Focus on clean, reproducible research code
• Demonstrated interest in the big questions of AI such as robustness, generalization, and common-sense reasoning
• Genuine passion for exploring the computational and architectural principles of the mammalian brain
• Ability to thrive in a lean, fast-paced environment with high autonomy

Nice to have

• PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Neuroscience, Physics, or a related quantitative field
• Exceptional candidates with non-traditional educational histories

About the company

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. They have committed a $3.5B endowment to grants, investments, and in-house research programs.