About Phaidra

Phaidra is building the future of industrial automation.

The world today is filled with static, monolithic infrastructure. Factories, power plants, buildings, etc. operate the same they've operated for decades — because the controls programming is hard-coded. Thousands of lines of rules and heuristics that 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 creates AI-powered control systems for the industrial sector, enabling industrial facilities to automatically learn and improve over time. Specifically:

We use reinforcement learning algorithms to provide this intelligence, converting raw sensor data into high-value actions and decisions.
We focus on industrial applications, which tend to be well-sensorized with measurable KPIs — perfect for reinforcement learning.
We enable domain experts (our users) to configure the AI control systems (i.e. agents) without writing code. They define what they want their AI agents to do, and we do it for them.

Our team has a track record of applying AI to some of the toughest problems. From achieving superhuman performance with DeepMind's AlphaGo, to reducing the energy required to cool Google's Data Centers by 40%, we deeply understand AI and how to apply it in production for massive impact.

Phaidra’s ability to achieve its mission is determined by our ability to work together — as defined by our core values: Agency, Velocity, Craft, and Truth. We seek individuals who embody these values, as they are instrumental in ensuring our team consistently delivers excellence and fosters an engaging and supportive culture

Phaidra is based in the USA, but we are 100% remote with no physical office. We hire employees internationally with the help of our partner, OysterHR. Our team is currently located throughout the USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and India.

Who You Are

Research Scientists at Phaidra lead our efforts in developing novel algorithmic architecture towards the end goal of bringing intelligent control systems to industrial sector.

Having pioneered research in the world's leading academic and industrial labs as PhDs, post-docs or professors, Research Scientists join Phaidra to work collaboratively within and across research fields.

Drawing on expertise from a variety of disciplines including model-based reinforcement learning, planning and optimal control, deep learning, world models, and safe reinforcement learning, our Research Scientists are at the forefront of groundbreaking research and applying it to real-world industrial control systems.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and evaluate model-based reinforcement learning agents — including planning-based controllers (MPC, MPPI) — and the software prototypes needed to deploy them on real industrial control systems.
Develop learned dynamics and world models (learned surrogates) that generalize across systems, including the training pipelines — pretraining, curriculum learning, active/adversarial learning, and fine-tuning — needed to make them reliable for planning and control.
Research and implement methods for e.g. safe RL, constrained control, scenario planning and Bayesian RL, to develop agents that satisfy safety constraints during deployment.
Report and present research findings and developments including status and results clearly and efficiently both internally and externally, verbally and in writing.
Participate in and organize ambitious collaborative research projects, and work with external collaborators and partners to translate research into production outcomes.
Mentor and guide Research Engineers to apply research findings and developments to industrial domains.
Independently defines new research directions
Translates research into practical outcomes
Owns the development and rollout for an entire research area or large project

Key Qualifications

PhD in a technical field or equivalent practical experience, with a strong background in model-based reinforcement learning and demonstrated knowledge in one or more of the following:
- Planning algorithms
- World models / learned dynamics surrogates
- Reinforcement Learning and Deep Learning
- Control Theory
- Safe / constrained RL
Either:
- 2+ years of research experience in academia or industry after PhD graduation.
- 5+ years of research experience in academia or industry after Master’s graduation.
Extensive research in the fields of {ModelBased, ModelFree, Safe} RL and Control Theory, with particular depth in model-based methods.
Hands-on experience building and evaluating agents against simulators (e.g. differentiable simulators or world models) and closing the sim-to-real gap.
Alignment with Phaidra's values: Agency, Velocity, Craft, & Truth.

Preferred Skills & Experience

PhD in machine learning, control, or a closely related field.
Deep, hands-on experience with model-based RL and planning agents applied to real-world dynamical or industrial systems.
Strong Python and PyTorch skills, including vectorized/differentiable simulators and scaling experiments on distributed compute (e.g. Ray, Kubernetes, GCP).
A proven track record of publications in RL, control, or a related area.
A real passion for AI and applying it to industrial systems to improve resource efficiency.

Our Stack

Python
PyTorch, scipy
Kubernetes, Docker, Ray
GCP

Onboarding

In your first 30 days...

You will be immersed in an onboarding program that introduces you to Phaidra and our product.
You will spend time in the research team and get introduced to the different tracks of research that we perform.
You will learn how other teams operate, interact, and approach problems.
You will read various parts of our handbook and familiarize yourself with the documentation culture at Phaidra.
You will set up your development environment and get introduced to various parts of our code base.

By your first 60 days...

You will have a solid understanding of what Phaidra does and how we do it.
You will have met with team members across Phaidra and started building relationships that will help you be successful at your job.
You will have a good understanding of our research tracks, which allowed you to form a plan for your first project, or maybe, you have already started one.

By your first 90 days...

You will have been fully integrated in the team and with team members across the company.
You will have started to contribute to knowledge sharing throughout Phaidra.
Your project is in full swing and you might have some early results already.

General Interview Process

All of our interviews are held via Google Meet, and an active camera connection is required.

Meeting with People Operations team member (30 minutes)
Meeting with Hiring Manager (30 minutes)
Technical Conversation with Research team member (60 minutes)
Technical Conversation with Hiring Manager (60 minutes)
Culture fit interview with Phaidra’s co-founders (30 minutes)

Base Salary

UK Residents:

Tier 1 (London): 96,159 GBP - 132,219 GBP
Tier 2 (Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol): 90,502 GBP - 124,441 GBP
Tier 3 (Smaller cities / rural areas): 84,847 GBP - 116,664 GBP

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for equity. Final salary will be determined based on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, expertise, education and location. In some cases, final compensation may fall outside the posted range. Salary ranges are regularly reviewed and may be adjusted in response to market trends.

Benefits & Perks

Fast-paced, team-oriented environment where your work directly shapes the company’s direction.
We are a 100% remote company.
Competitive compensation & meaningful equity.
Outsized responsibilities & professional development.
Training is foundational; functional, customer immersion, and development training.
Medical, dental, and vision insurance (exact benefits vary by region).
Unlimited paid time off, with a required minimum of 20 days per year.
Paid parental leave (exact benefits vary by region).
Flexible stipends to support your workspace, well-being, and continued professional development.
Company MacBook.

Please note: Not all of Phaidra’s benefits and perks listed above apply to temporary employees such as interns.

On being Remote

We take a thoughtful and intentional approach to remote collaboration. Inspired by pioneers like GitLab, we embrace proven best practices to foster an exceptional remote work environment. Our culture is documentation-first, and we prioritize asynchronous communication to support focus and flexibility across time zones. While we value independence, we stay closely connected through tools like Slack and video conferencing. Weekly all-hands meetings help us align and build strong relationships, and we regularly host virtual team-building activities and social events to maintain a sense of camaraderie.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Phaidra is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Phaidra is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. We welcome diversity and strive to maintain an inclusive environment for all employees. If you need assistance with completing the application process, please contact us at [email protected].

E-Verify Notice

Phaidra participates in E-Verify, an employment authorization database provided through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA). As required by law, we will provide the SSA and, if necessary, the DHS, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization for those residing in the United States.

Additional information about E-Verify can be found here.

#LI-Remote

To be considered for any position at Phaidra, you must submit an online application. This role will remain open until it is filled.

Phaidra only hires individuals who are legally authorized to work in the specified location(s) above. We do not provide employment sponsorship. Candidates requiring visa sponsorship, either now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.

Candidates who advance beyond the initial screening stage will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in order to continue through the interview process.

All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of employment authorization verification and applicable background checks, in accordance with local laws and company policies.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITERS.

About the company

Phaidra provides AI-powered virtual plant operators that help operations teams run mission-critical facilities more reliably and efficiently. Its self-learning control systems monitor and optimize cooling, heating, and energy infrastructure by automatically adapting to changing conditions. The company blends advanced AI/ML expertise with practical knowledge of cooling and heating systems, and has demonstrated strong results such as 40% energy savings at Google’s data centers. Its goal is to reduce energy use, boost operational resiliency, and deliver ongoing value for clients in sectors like data centers, pharmaceuticals, and district energy.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$92.5M

Headquarters

Seattle, Washington

Founded

2019

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

Aligned Data Centers deployed Prism across its portfolio on September 29, 2026.
Phaidra, CoreWeave, and Applied Digital validated 75%-80% thermal overshoot reductions in March 2026.
InfraPartners integration on August 11, 2026 expands Phaidra from operations into design.

What critics are saying

Prism remains read-only at Aligned on September 29, 2026; monetization stays limited.
CoreWeave-scale deployments expose Phaidra to outages, customer scrutiny, and mission-critical blame.
NVIDIA-backed competitors and in-house operators can commoditize control software by 2027.

What makes Phaidra unique

Phaidra's March 2026 Prism unifies BMS, EPMS, cooling, and IT telemetry.
Jim Gao's DeepMind and Google data-center background gives Phaidra rare control credibility.
NVIDIA DSX partnerships embed Phaidra into the emerging AI-factory operating stack.

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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Parental Leave
Home Office Stipend
Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth

PR Newswire

Sep 29th, 2026

Aligned Data Centers deploys Phaidra's AI platform to boost operations and reliability

Phaidra has partnered with Aligned Data Centers to deploy its Prism platform across Aligned's data center portfolio. Prism is a read-only intelligence layer that analyses telemetry from building management systems, electrical power monitoring systems, and other infrastructure systems to identify irregularities and accelerate root cause analysis. The platform provides facility-specific intelligence through a natural language interface, helping operations teams respond faster and strengthen reliability. Prism integrates NVIDIA DSX Exchange to unify data across mechanical, electrical, power, cooling, and IT systems. "Assistive intelligence systems like Phaidra Prism don't replace our teams' expertise — they amplify it," said Michael Welch, CTO of Aligned Data Centers. The partnership aims to help operators manage increasingly dynamic infrastructure with greater speed and confidence.

Phaidra

Sep 29th, 2026

Phaidra and Aligned Data Centers partner to Empower operations teams and Strengthen Data Center Reliability with AI.

Phaidra and Aligned Data Centers partner to Empower operations teams and Strengthen Data Center Reliability with AI. 29 September 2026 Aligned Data Centers Deploys Phaidra Prism, Leveraging the NVIDIA DSX AI Factory Platform to Deliver AI-driven Insights that Empower Operators and Strengthen Data Center Reliability SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2026 - Phaidra, the leading provider of AI agents for data center operations, today announced a partnership with Aligned Data Centers ("Aligned"), a leading developer and operator of ultra-efficient data centers for the world's most demanding workloads, to deploy its Prism platform across Aligned's data center portfolio. Prism equips Aligned's operations teams with facility-specific intelligence that accelerates response time, strengthens data center reliability, and supports the growing operational demands of next-generation digital infrastructure. "As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly sophisticated and dynamic, our operational approach must also evolve. Aligned has built industry-leading infrastructure that can adapt to the demands of high-density computing, and together we're bringing that same adaptability to data center operations - helping teams run facilities with greater speed, efficiency, and reliability," said Jim Gao, CEO and Co-founder at Phaidra. Phaidra Prism is a read-only intelligence layer that is purpose-built for data center operations. The platform continuously analyzes telemetry from building management systems (BMS), electrical power monitoring systems (EPMS), and other infrastructure systems alongside operational documentation to identify early-stage irregularities, accelerate root cause analysis, and deliver contextual guidance through a natural language interface. "Data center environments are more dynamic and advanced than ever before. To meet this moment, we owe it to our operators to put the best tools in their hands," says Michael Welch, CTO of Aligned Data Centers. "Assistive intelligence systems like Phaidra Prism don't replace our teams' expertise - they amplify it, surfacing critical context in real time so our operators can act with greater speed and precision. Beyond daily operations, this technology adds tremendous value by streamlining new capacity commissioning and elevating quality assurance across our portfolio. Ultimately, this partnership is an investment in our people as much as our infrastructure." As digital infrastructure continues to scale, data center operators are supporting increasingly dense and dynamic workloads that create more complex interactions across compute, power, cooling, and networking systems. Traditional monitoring tools were designed to surface raw data, not provide context. To navigate these advanced environments and maintain reliable performance, operators must quickly prioritize operational needs and access the key insights required for rapid decision-making. Phaidra has integrated NVIDIA DSX Exchange, part of NVIDIA DSX OS, into Phaidra Prism. Prism uses DSX Exchange as a common data layer to bring together information across mechanical, electrical, power, cooling, and IT systems, providing operators with a unified view of data center infrastructure through a conversational interface. The partnership reflects Aligned's continued investment in technologies that enhance operational excellence across its data center portfolio. Together, Phaidra and Aligned are advancing a new approach to AI-assisted operations, combining real-time intelligence with human expertise to help teams manage increasingly dynamic infrastructure with greater speed, confidence, and reliability. About Phaidra Phaidra is a leading provider of AI agents for AI factories, maximizing the performance, reliability, and efficiency of critical infrastructure at gigawatt scale. Its AI agents span operational intelligence and autonomous optimization, enabling operators to better understand infrastructure behavior and accelerate root cause analysis. By unifying data across power, cooling, and AI infrastructure, Phaidra helps maximize available compute capacity while enabling faster incident response and more confident operations. Phaidra is helping define the next generation of AI-native infrastructure operations. Learn more at www.phaidra.ai About Aligned Data Centers Aligned Data Centers delivers sustainable, ultra-efficient, and adaptive infrastructure for the world's most demanding technology workloads. Fueled by over 50 patents for award-winning, water-saving cooling technology and a commitment to responsible development, its facilities underpin the digital applications society relies on every day. Aligned is committed to the communities Phaidra serve, transforming industrial sites into technology hubs, generating local jobs and fostering widespread skilled workforce development. For more information, visit www.aligneddc.com.

Yahoo Finance

Aug 11th, 2026

InfraPartners and Phaidra partner to integrate AI agents with prefabricated AI factories, maximizing power for compute through advanced cooling control and real-time facility intelligence.

InfraPartners and Phaidra partner to integrate AI agents with prefabricated AI factories, maximizing power for compute through advanced cooling control and real-time facility intelligence. Business Wire Collaboration combines InfraPartners' prefabricated AI data center solutions with Phaidra's agentic technology to unlock greater productivity and speed across the design, build and operations of AI factories HOUSTON & SEATTLE, August 11, 2026-(BUSINESS WIRE)-InfraPartners, a leader in prefabricated, fungible AI data center solutions, and Phaidra, a leading provider of AI agents for AI factories, today announced a partnership to integrate Phaidra's AI agents into InfraPartners' prefabricated data center solutions. The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is creating new challenges across the data center. AI factories are becoming larger, denser and more complex. These more elaborate facilities require power, cooling and compute to operate as a single interconnected system. Demand for the experienced engineering, construction and operations teams that can build and operate this more unified, modern data center continues to outpace supply. By combining InfraPartners' standardized infrastructure with Phaidra's AI agents, customers gain continuous operational intelligence that analyzes infrastructure behavior and helps optimize AI factory performance. InfraPartners and Phaidra will also work together to use AI agents across design, manufacturing and commissioning stages, so AI factories operate more reliably and efficiently from day one. Both organizations are focused on supporting the skilled labor building the world's rapidly expanding AI infrastructure. InfraPartners uses offsite manufacturing to build 80% of the data center in its factories and 20% onsite, shifting assembly into controlled factory environments, improving quality and easing demand for scarce onsite trades, especially in remote locations where many AI factories are built and experienced workers are hardest to find. The partnership is designed to accelerate what the industry can deliver. Demand today for electrical, mechanical and construction engineers already outstrips supply worldwide. By helping customers build and operate more data centers faster, InfraPartners and Phaidra expect the collaboration to grow industry capability across manufacturing, construction and operations while scaling at the speed AI and the world need. Projections forecast data center demand growing to between 171 gigawatts (GW) and 219 GW by 2030, placing increasing pressure on engineering, construction and operations teams. Scaling existing ways of working is not sustainable or efficient; new methods, tools and thinking are needed to ensure AI factories are not the bottleneck preventing the world and its communities from achieving the full potential of AI - that is where the InfraPartners and Phaidra partnership is focused.

Angel Business Communications Limited

Mar 31st, 2026

Salute partners with Phaidra for scalable AI operations.

Salute partners with Phaidra for scalable AI operations. Salute teams up with Phaidra to support AI operations in high-density data centres with operational solutions. * Tuesday, 31st March 2026 Posted 22 hours ago in AI Cloud + MS Data Analytics by Sophie Milburn Salute, a data centre services company, has formed a strategic partnership with Phaidra to address challenges associated with AI computing in high-density data environments. The collaboration aims to support faster AI deployment by addressing operational barriers in these settings. Traditional technologies and strategies may not fully address the requirements of high-density computing environments. They can face challenges in managing liquid cooling and continuous high-load computing, which can create obstacles for organisations deploying AI infrastructure at scale. The partnership between Salute and Phaidra introduces an integrated approach designed to support performance, reduce energy use, and improve efficiency. Phaidra's AI-driven data centre controls are combined with Salute's Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling Operations, enabling data centres to scale AI operations. Salute's AI as a service is positioned as a comprehensive approach to challenges associated with liquid cooling, particularly as AI operations scale. It has been adopted by a growing number of operators and is used in AI operations. Phaidra's AI agents manage power and cooling systems and adapt in real time. This technology has demonstrated energy savings and improvements in thermal stability. Results have included a 70% improvement in thermal stability on NVIDIA platforms. The integration of Phaidra's AI-driven systems with Salute's operational model is intended to support performance, reliability, and operational outcomes. "Together, Phaidra and Salute are making it faster, simpler and safer for companies to scale their AI operations," said Jim Gao, Phaidra's CEO and Co-Founder. In addition, Salute's acquisition of Northshore and the integration of the Seastack sustainability platform add sustainability insights to its operations. Salute's partner ecosystem supports operations in AI/HPC data centres, combining technology and expertise to support performance. Salute and Phaidra are continuing to develop approaches to support AI operations in high-density computing environments.

GeekWire

Mar 18th, 2026

Backed by Nvidia, Seattle's Phaidra targets data center overheating with proactive AI.

Backed by Nvidia, Seattle's Phaidra targets data center overheating with proactive AI. by Lisa Stiffler on Mar 18, 2026 at 10:41 am Phaidra, a startup using artificial intelligence to make data center operations more energy efficient, this week announced key collaborations with Nvidia, CoreWeave and Applied Digital. The Seattle company revealed "groundbreaking methodology" that predicts and prevents data center heat spikes when computing workloads surge. Phaidra has been partnering with cloud provider CoreWeave and data center operator Applied Digital to test and deploy the cooling strategy. As data center operations and deployments boom nationwide, demand for energy and water to run the facilities and cool the electronics is likewise surging. Operators are eager to find better strategies for building and operating such complex sites. Phaidra is led by alumni from Alphabet's AI research hub DeepMind, launched in 2019. Its technology uses an array of sensors to measure multiple metrics and analyzes that information. The company has raised a total of $120 million and has roughly 90 employees. The startup is #78 on GeekWire 200, our list of the top privately held technology companies in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. "We envisaged a future where AI agents transform static infrastructure in self-learning, continuously improving infrastructure," Phaidra CEO Jim Gao said on LinkedIn. "That future became reality on the world stage," Gao added, when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang this week announced the collaboration between Phaidra, the global chip giant, and others. Data centers typically hum at steady operating conditions, but demand can suddenly ramp up when AI training or other large workloads are dispatched. That cranks up the heat produced, which can cause chips to throttle performance to avoid overheating. To prevent this, data center operators often over-cool facilities, wasting power, water and limiting available compute capacity. Phaidra's fix is to use an AI agent that monitors power data as an early-warning signal of an impending operations spike so cooling can kick in proactively - rather than waiting for a temperature rise.