--- title: 'Member of Technical Staff, Engineering at FirstPrinciples' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-engineering-firstprinciples-ontario-27gmtrpxsem5' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-11' --- # Member of Technical Staff, Engineering at FirstPrinciples - **Company:** FirstPrinciples - **Location:** Ontario, Canada - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-05-28 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/firstprinciples/dc162a58-a6da-492b-9f8e-b5d6e43982bd ## Job description ## About FirstPrinciples FirstPrinciples is building AI to accelerate scientific discovery. Our core product is the Theo Platform, a research environment built to help researchers iterate faster, validate rigorously, and reach verified results they can trust. We're a fast-growing, remote-first team of builders, researchers, engineers, and thinkers working across Canada, the US, the UK, and expanding globally. What brings us together is a shared curiosity about how the universe works, and a belief that we can build systems that help us explore it more effectively. We spend our time working on questions that don't have clear answers, like how to design AI that can reason through scientific problems, and how the scientific process as a whole might evolve. This is work that sits somewhere between creativity and rigorous thinking, and often requires comfort with ambiguity and iteration. If you're someone who enjoys tackling big, abstract problems and exploring ideas that don't yet have a defined path forward, you'll likely find the work here interesting. Job Description: FirstPrinciples is seeking skilled and motivated developers to join our team. In this role, you will play a crucial role in building technology tools to accelerate research in theoretical physics. You will work on developing our AI Physicist, leveraging gen AI tools like ChatGPT, and exploring and building new technologies to drive breakthroughs in theoretical physics. Key Responsibilities: - Contribute to the design and coding of the AI Physicist, a closed-loop research engine, including the development of tools to support hypotheses generation, peer review, physics based simulations, validation against experimental data and self-revision, among other things. - Write safe, testable code and set up automated unit tests to catch errors and apply lessons from recent research findings. - Explore and integrate SOTA tools into existing platforms to enhance model capabilities. These tools can provide advanced analysis and insights, furthering the understanding of theoretical physics. - Add self-improvement features that pass automated checks before deployment. - Track runtime metrics and suggest optimizations that keep the project efficient and sustainable. - Develop custom tech solutions tailored to the specific needs of researchers. This may include developing algorithms, data analysis tools, or other software to accelerate research in specific areas of theoretical physics. - Apply knowledge of product development principles and practices to ensure that the tools developed are useful and effective for theoretical physicists worldwide. - Collaborate with stakeholders to define requirements, prioritize features, and ensure successful delivery. Qualifications: - Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. - Experience with common software architecture patterns and best practices. - Proven experience with web development and API integrations is essential. - Excellent programming skills are a must. - Proficiency in gen AI tools and their applications (e.g., ChatGPT, AlphaCode, Claude) is necessary. - Strong communication skills are crucial to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. - Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment. - Knowledge of theoretical physics or a strong interest in the field is a plus. - Familiarity with cloud technologies and infrastructure is a plus. - A passion for advancing knowledge and science advocacy is highly desirable. Application Process: - Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume, a cover letter detailing their qualifications and vision for the role, and references. Please include “Member of Technical Staff, Engineering" in the cover letter. Join us at FirstPrinciples and be a part of a transformative journey where science drives progress and unlocks the potential of humanity. ## About FirstPrinciples ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: FirstPrinciples is a non-profit, AI-first research organization building an autonomous AI Physicist to accelerate fundamental physics discovery and advance humanity’s understanding of nature. - **Entity Type**: Private (Non-profit) – funded by philanthropic grants (e.g., John Templeton Foundation) - **Headquarters**: Toronto, Canada - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Ildar Shar ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Research Services / AI / Fundamental Physics - **Target customers**: The scientific community and research institutions (B2 science); operates as a mission-driven open-science platform, not a commercial vendor. - **Mission**: To unlock the transformative potential of fundamental science by building an open, autonomous research engine (the AI Physicist) that can generate and test novel theoretical frameworks – with a goal of unifying quantum field theory and general relativity by 2035. ## Products & Services - **Theo (AI Physicist)**: An open-source, autonomous research engine that combines AI, symbolic reasoning, and self-directed research capabilities to explore theoretical physics and produce novel insights. - **FirstPrinciples Fellowship Program**: A fixed-term, fully remote program for PhD/postdoctoral researchers in ML and physics to build core modules of the AI Physicist and help establish open scientific infrastructure. - **Theo Collaborators Program**: A selective research collaboration that brings expert physicists into direct engagement with Theo to evaluate and improve its scientific reasoning. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Funding**: Not applicable (non‑profit). Received a philanthropic grant from the **John Templeton Foundation** – early institutional support for the AI Physicist. - **Key Metric**: 27 employees (as of mid‑2026), with **140% year‑over-year headcount growth**; 7,042 LinkedIn followers. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: John Templeton Foundation; Scientific Advisory Board includes **Victor Galitski** (inaugural member) and **Yang-Hui He** (mathematical physicist). - **Growth Signals**: Rapid team expansion (140% YoY), launch of Fellowship Program (January 2026), fully remote global operations with presence in Canada, US, and Belgium. ## Competitive Advantages - **Mission‑driven, non‑profit, open‑source** model attracts top AI and physics talent who want impact over profit. - **Long‑term vision** (2035 breakthrough) combined with startup‑like speed and iteration. - **Unique interdisciplinary approach** – merges cutting‑edge AI with rigorous theoretical physics, guided by a world‑class Scientific Advisory Board. - **Autonomous research loops** that go beyond data analysis to actively generate and test new scientific ideas. ## Strategic Focus - Building and scaling the AI Physicist to achieve a breakthrough in fundamental physics (unification of QFT & GR). - Expanding the research community through fellowships and collaborative programs (Theo Collaborators). - Developing open scientific infrastructure and establishing new standards for AI‑driven discovery. - Deepening collaborations with leading physicists and institutions. ## Why Work Here - **Remote‑first culture** – a global collective where engineers, physicists, and AI researchers collaborate asynchronously. - **Startup energy with non‑profit purpose** – fast iteration, low hierarchy, and direct impact on science. - **Flexible work** – primarily remote; some hybrid options in Toronto. - **Notable perks** (from careers page): fully remote positions available, entrepreneurial environment, and the chance to work on one of the most ambitious AI‑science projects today. - **Roles available** (as of mid‑2026): MTS in DevOps/Infrastructure, Engineering, Research; Staff Physicist (Quantum Information); Training Engineer (Large Scale Foundation Models); Human‑AI Interaction Designer; Strategic Partnerships Manager; etc. ## Sources 1. [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/firstprinciples) 2. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/firstprinciples-foundation) 3. [linkedin.com](https://ca.linkedin.com/company/firstprinciplesfoundation) 4. [firstprinciples.org – Press](https://www.firstprinciples.org/press) 5. [firstprinciples.org – Fellowship announcement](https://www.firstprinciples.org/article/firstprinciples-launches-fellowship-program-for-researchers-in-ai-and-physics) ## Other roles at FirstPrinciples - [Member of Product Staff](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-product-staff-firstprinciples-ontario-hrcj4668abr0) — Ontario, Canada - [Program Manager, Research](https://feeny.ai/job/program-manager-research-firstprinciples-ontario-r0e90jaq8nxf) — Ontario, Canada - [Growth Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-marketing-manager-firstprinciples-ontario-7vhj6gmza83t) — Ontario, Canada - [Head of GTM](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-gtm-firstprinciples-ontario-j3m84whrjckh) — Ontario, Canada - [Staff Product Security Engineer - AI Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-product-security-engineer-ai-systems-firstprinciples-ontario-nkzr5rdesj2s) — Ontario, Canada - [Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-firstprinciples-ontario-7xs56m934qyn) — Ontario, Canada - [Founding Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-account-executive-firstprinciples-ontario-s8px3zhh5165) — Ontario, Canada - [Senior Research Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-research-manager-firstprinciples-ontario-ngcp734mknys) — Ontario, Canada - [Senior Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineering-manager-firstprinciples-ontario-erk9crg6085t) — Ontario, Canada - [Member of Technical Staff, Research](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-research-firstprinciples-ontario-sn46be6n80ad) — Ontario, Canada