VP of Research, Phaidra
$180-250k
UK - £131285 - £182340; CA - $209790 - $291375
AI agentics for AI factories
Job no longer available
AI agentics for AI factories
21-100 employees
Job no longer available
$180-250k
UK - £131285 - £182340; CA - $209790 - $291375
21-100 employees
Company mission
To enable AI factories to operate as a single unit of compute.
Role
Who you are
- Having pioneered research in the world's leading academic and industrial labs and run a successful industry Research Lab, the VP of Research joins Phaidra to create a world-class Research Lab that specializes in applying Deep Reinforcement Learning to industrial control systems
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field. Strong academic background with a proven track record of impactful research in Deep Reinforcement Learning is required
- Extensive leadership experience in research roles in an industry setting, with a track record of managing and mentoring interdisciplinary research teams
- Demonstrated expertise in Deep Reinforcement Learning techniques, particularly in the context of autonomous control systems
- Proficiency in machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) and programming languages (e.g., Python, C++)
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
- Proven ability to drive strategic initiatives, think creatively, and innovate in a fast-paced environment
- Strong collaboration skills and the ability to foster cross-functional partnerships
- Passion for advancing AI-driven autonomy and a commitment to ethical and responsible AI research
- Share our company values: Transparency, Collaboration, Operational Excellence, Ownership and Empathy
What the job involves
- The VP of Research at Phaidra oversees the theoretical advancement of DeepRL and plays a pivotal role in translating research outcomes into practical solutions for real-world challenges
- The VP of Research at Phaidra will play a pivotal role in driving the strategic direction of our research efforts — you’ll push the boundaries of applying Deep RL technology for application in real-world industrial control systems and contribute to the realization of autonomous systems that redefine industries
- Research Strategy: Aligns research initiatives with the company's strategic goals and market demands. You’ll identify specific areas within autonomous control systems where DeepRL research can be effectively applied to solve real-world challenges and lead the team to accomplish those pursuits
- Technical Leadership: Provide expert guidance and technical leadership to a team of world-class researchers, machine learning experts, and engineers. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure the alignment of research goals with practical applications
- Problem Definition: Define research problems that are not only theoretically interesting but also relevant to real-world challenges. You’ll work with stakeholders to identify specific problems that can benefit from DeepRL solutions, ensuring that the research is impactful and practical
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the engineering, product development, customer success, and business teams. You’ll work with these teams to understand practical constraints, technical requirements, and business objectives — ensuring that research efforts are directed towards creating tangible solutions
- Product Integration: Ensure that research outcomes are seamlessly integrated into the company's products and services. You’ll collaborate with product managers, engineers and domain experts to guide the implementation of research findings into the product — ensuring that the technology is scalable, efficient, and functional
- Innovation and Experimentation: Foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within the research team. Encourage the exploration of new approaches, methodologies, and technologies to enhance the capabilities of autonomous control systems
- Publication and Thought Leadership: Drive the creation of impactful research contributions leading to publications in prestigious conferences and journals. Establish Phaidra as thought leaders at the intersection of DeepRL and autonomous control systems
- Intellectual Property: Identify opportunities for intellectual property creation and patenting stemming from research endeavours
- Budget Management: Manage research budgets effectively — allocating resources to projects that align with strategic objectives
- People Management: Manage and mentor direct reports and sub-teams effectively, utilizing Phaidra's company values
Our take
The world today is filled with static, monolithic infrastructure. Factories, power plants, buildings, etc. operate in the same way they've operated for decades — because the controls programming is hard-coded. Thousands of lines of rules and heuristics 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 analyzes massive amounts of sensor data and creates intelligent AI agents that automatically control and optimize complex industrial facilities. Customers use Phaidra to improve energy efficiency and sustainability; increase plant safety and stability; and maximize yield.
With $50M in fresh funding, Phaidra is ready to scale its AI-driven approach to data center efficiency. Backed by investors including Collaborative Fund, Index Ventures, and Nvidia, the Seattle-based startup has now raised a total of $120M and continues to grow its team. As it strengthens partnerships with leading chip makers and expands globally, Phaidra is set to redefine how data centers operate.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Oct 2025
$50m
SERIES B
Jul 2024
$12m
EARLY VC
Total funding: $92.5m
Company benefits
- Fast-paced and team-oriented environment.
- Phaidra is a 100% remote company with a digital nomad policy.
- Competitive compensation & equity.
- Outsized responsibilities & professional development.
- Training is foundational; functional, and customer immersion focused.
- Monthly remote work stipend.
- 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 and company MacBook.
Company HQ
Central Business District, Seattle, WA
Leadership
Jim Gao
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously Team Lead at DeepMind's Energy Division. Before that, worked as a Technical Lead at Google.
Vedavyas Panneershelvam
(Co-Founder & CTO)Previously Staff Research Engineer at DeepMind.
Katie H.
(Co-Founder & COO)Prior to co-founding Phaidra, Katie was an Innovation Senior Manager at Ingersoll Rand and an Engineering Team Lead at Trane.
Share this job
View 1 more job at Phaidra