Astera
Neuro & AGI
SoftwareEngineer-DistributedSimulationSystems
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Mid+ candidates.
“Software Engineer - Distributed Simulation Systems at Astera. Skills: Distributed simulation systems, Distributed computation, High-performance networking, Scalable simulation pipelines, Biological system simulation, 3D physics simulation, Networking infrastructure, C++, MuJoCo. Design and implement distributed simulation systems. Build networking infrastructure for synchronized multi-node simulation”
Industry & Context.
Surprising problem-solver; Bias to action
Some travel may be required from time-to-time for in-person collaboration and work
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
C++ systems programming experience, Experience with distributed systems, Experience with networking protocols and distributed communication, Experience with MuJoCo or other 3D physics simulators, Understanding of concurrency, multithreading, synchronization, and performance optimization, Experience building performance-critical systems on Linux
Nice to Have
Experience with Python and PyTorch, Biological or neuroscience simulation experience, Simulation engine development, High-performance networking experience, CUDA or GPU systems programming, ECS / data-oriented engine architectures, RDMA, shared memory, zero-copy networking, or custom transport layers, Experience scaling simulations across many machines, Experience with UI frameworks such as wxWidgets, Experience building visualization or simulation tooling interfaces
What You'll Do.
Design and implement distributed simulation systems
Build networking infrastructure for synchronized multi-node simulation
Build and optimize MuJoCo-based 3D physics environments
Develop infrastructure for large-scale biological system simulations
Engineer communication systems for distributed simulators and agents
Optimize simulation throughput across CPUs
Develop distributed execution systems
Profile and eliminate bottlenecks in networking
Work on infrastructure spanning simulation
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Give and receive honest feedback; Committing to transparency even when it’s uncomfortable; Treat residents, peers, and vendors with genuine respect for their time and contributions
Process & Methodology
Launch and iterate on thoughtful experiments rather than waiting for perfect plans
Full Job Description
ABOUT ASTERA: Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward an abundant future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to dramatically accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive scientific progress. Unlike traditional non-profit research organizations, projects supported by Astera operate like high-velocity startups, allowing us to focus on ambitious goals, match structure to problem, and attract strong technical talent and leadership. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming here https://astera.org/vision/. POSITION SUMMARY The Astera Institute is seeking a software engineer to build the core infrastructure for large-scale distributed simulation systems, including biological systems and physics-based environments. This role focuses on distributed computation, high-performance networking, scalable simulation pipelines, and biological and 3D physics simulation systems. You will work at the intersection of: - distributed computing - high-performance C++ - biological system simulation - 3D physics simulation - networking infrastructure RESPONSIBILITIES: - Design and implement distributed simulation systems - Build networking infrastructure for synchronized multi-node simulation - Build and optimize MuJoCo-based 3D physics environments - Develop infrastructure for large-scale biological system simulations - Engineer communication systems for distributed simulators and agents - Optimize simulation throughput across CPUs, GPUs, and clusters - Develop distributed execution systems - Profile and eliminate bottlenecks in networking, scheduling, memory, and synchronization - Work on infrastructure spanning simulation, networking, orchestration, visualization, and toolin
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