Principia Research Fellowship
Research · San Francisco
About Principia
Principia is a research lab building foundation models for mathematical reasoning, algorithm design, and AI research: an Einstein in a box.
We're backed by Modern Capital, Pebblebed, and Neo, and by researchers and founders from OpenAI and FAIR. We've contributed core research to DeepSeek V3, FrontierMath, Kimi 1.5, and Tinker. Everyone here has real autonomy to shape what we build.
About the Fellowship
The Principia Research Fellowship is a 3-6 month paid position for PhDs and researchers working on problems at the core of our research program.
Fellows join the research team and work on whatever's load-bearing. The fellowship can be a bridge to joining Principia full-time.
What Fellows Do
Fellows contribute to real research. The specific project is decided with your mentor based on your background and what's open.
This isn't a coursework program or a set curriculum. You're here to do research.
Who We're Looking For
- PhD candidates, postdocs, or researchers with equivalent experience
- Technical fundamentals and a track record of shipping
- Deep interest in mathematical reasoning, foundation models, or adjacent areas
- People who would be serious full-time candidates
Prior AI research experience is common but not required. Math and physics PhDs often become excellent AI researchers.
Program Details
- Duration: 3-6 months, flexible
- Location: San Francisco, in person. Remote permitted during visa processing.
- Compensation: Competitive compensation.
- Equity: Granted on conversion to full-time. Your time as a fellow counts toward your cliff.
- Compute: Meaningful. Tell us what you need.
- Visa sponsorship: Yes. We've sponsored visas for team members before.
How to Apply
Email hiring@principialabs.org. Include:
- Your CV, GitHub, Google Scholar, or whatever best represents your work
- A research problem you care about and why
- What you'd want to work on at Principia
We accept applications on a rolling basis. We're selective, but we read every email.