Computational Design Research Engineer

About the company

Foundation EGI is an MIT-founded, venture-backed startup in Silicon Valley building an AI copilot for design and manufacturing. Its mission is to combine advanced AI, physics simulation, and computer graphics to lower costs and raise engineering productivity across the full design-to-manufacturing workflow.

Role overview

This position sits at the intersection of machine learning, engineering design, and geometric computation. You will work with real-world 2D and 3D data from CAD, CAE, and CAM environments, transforming complex geometry, workflows, and simulation outputs into forms that machine learning systems can understand and use effectively.

The team is looking for someone with strong technical depth, especially in Python and ML, along with the curiosity to explore how physical products and engineering systems are designed and built. Candidates may come from research or industry, but should be comfortable moving between theory and hands-on implementation. Experience around mechanical systems or engineering design is especially valuable because the role bridges advanced models with day-to-day engineering practice.

Core responsibilities

• Develop, improve, and support geometry-processing and simulation algorithms for engineering use cases.
• Create services that can read, transform, and write 2D and 3D engineering data.
• Build rendering components for producing 2D and 3D visual outputs.
• Prepare and oversee large-scale datasets used in learning-based systems.
• Implement and refine post-training pipelines for machine learning models.
• Help build domain-specific languages for engineering workflows.

Required background

• At least 5 years of academic or industry experience in one or more of these areas: geometric processing, simulation, optimization, machine learning, or domain-specific languages.
• Strong ability to write clean, modular, maintainable Python code.
• Hands-on experience building datasets and data pipelines.
• PhD or MS with a specialization in computational design, simulation, or AI.
• Experience creating software tools for CAD, CAM, or CAE.
• Exposure to developing or fine-tuning large language models, including post-training approaches such as quantization, pruning, distillation, or reinforcement learning.
• Experience designing or implementing DSLs or compilers.
• Must already have experience in code development plus computational design and/or geometry processing; applications without this background will not be considered.

Compensation and benefits

The compensation listed is base pay only and may vary depending on experience, skills, location, and overall fit for the role. In addition to base salary, eligible employees may receive equity and a broad benefits package.

• Equity participation in the company’s long-term success.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement savings benefits.
• Generous paid time off and company holidays.
• Remote-first working setup.
• Fully funded company offsites and team gatherings.
• Professional development and learning support.
• Home office support and remote-work resources.

Hiring process note

The company may use AI tools to assist with parts of the hiring process, such as resume review, application analysis, and signal checking for potential inconsistencies. These tools support the recruiting team but do not replace human judgment, and final hiring decisions are made by people. Candidates can contact the company for more information about data processing.

Compensation philosophy

The salary structure is designed to leave room for progression as impact grows. Foundation EGI aims to align compensation with increasing scope, responsibility, and contribution over time.