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SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ

AI and quantum security solutions

Machine Learning Research Engineer - Virtual Cell

Full-Time
$134.4k - $252k/yr

+ Performance-based incentives or bonuses + Equity participation

Senior
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Remote in USA
Remote

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor's degree in a scientific or quantitative field such as Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Biology, or Chemistry, or a related field.
  • Demonstrated experience building and maintaining machine learning models in a scientific discipline in an industry setting, including taking models from prototype through validation and maintenance.
  • Experience managing large-scale datasets and managing model training over them, including data ingestion, cleaning, versioning, and pipeline maintenance at scale.
  • Strong Python programming skills and experience with modern machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch and JAX, plus experiment-tracking or data-versioning tools such as Weights & Biases.
  • Ability to design sound evaluation methodology, including train/test splitting strategies and held-out generalization tests, and critically interpret model performance against meaningful baselines.
Responsibilities
  • Build, train, and maintain machine learning models for expression-perturbation prediction and downstream functional-endpoint prediction, including cell viability, IC50, and toxicity dose-response.
  • Acquire, harmonize, and manage large-scale biological datasets, including schema harmonization, normalization, and de-duplication across cell, drug, and assay identifiers, and manage model training pipelines over pooled datasets.
  • Contribute to automating and hardening the end-to-end evaluation pipeline, including implementing robust statistical baselines to benchmark model performance.
  • Translate ideas from the scientific literature, including transformer-based perturbation models and knowledge graph or graph neural network-based embeddings, into working, well-tested code integrated into the modeling framework.
  • Partner with computational biologists, software engineers, and product stakeholders to ensure models are grounded in sound biology and usable in real drug discovery workflows.
  • Document methods, assumptions, and results, and communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Desired Qualifications
  • An advanced degree, specifically an MS or PhD, in a scientific or quantitative field.
  • Experience building and maintaining machine learning models in a life sciences setting.
  • Experience with bioinformatics and computational biology data analysis tools, particularly transcriptomics harmonization and normalization tools such as batch correction, pseudobulking, and gene ID mapping or standardization.
  • Familiarity with public perturbation or drug-sensitivity datasets such as LINCS L1000, GDSC, DepMap, or single-cell perturbation atlases.
  • Experience with knowledge graph embeddings or graph neural networks applied to drugs, targets, or cells.
  • Familiarity with cheminformatics representations such as SMILES, InChI keys, PubChem identifiers, and Cellosaurus identifiers used to harmonize drug and cell metadata across datasets.
  • Experience working in interdisciplinary environments where artificial intelligence intersects with the biological sciences.

About the company

SandboxAQ helps organizations prepare for the impact of quantum computing by combining artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. Its offerings include crypto-agile security, quantum sensing, and quantum simulation and optimization, delivered as services and solutions to global clients. The company works with leading professional services firms to help clients implement AQ solutions, and it also engages in research fellowships and hiring for PhD and post-doc roles. Unlike others that only develop hardware or software, SandboxAQ emphasizes enabling enterprises and even nations to gain a competitive edge before scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computers are widely available, and to bridge the global digital divide through practical, implementable solutions. Its business model centers on providing services and solutions, monetized through client engagements and partnerships with professional services firms.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$1.6B

Headquarters

Palo Alto, California

Founded

2021

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 2026 brought a $500 million U.S. CHIPS award for semiconductor materials.
  • September 9, 2026 AQNav flight-tested on Northrop Grumman’s Lumberjack drone.
  • August 2026 launches on AWS Marketplace and Claude broaden distribution for AQCat and AQPotency.

What critics are saying

  • Robert Bender’s 2026 lawsuit accuses Jack Hidary of misleading investors; discovery threatens leadership.
  • SandboxAQ depends on defense and CHIPS contracts; procurement delays push revenue recognition into 2027.
  • Switch’s free Apache release invites Microsoft, Slack, and open-source clones to compress pricing.

What makes SandboxAQ unique

  • AQNav software runs on existing onboard compute, integrating in under an hour.
  • AQCat and AQPotency commercialize physics-trained LQMs through AWS Marketplace and Claude MCP.
  • Switch open-sources agent collaboration inside Slack and Teams, not another standalone app.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Stock Options

Family Planning Benefits

Fertility Treatment Support

Paid Vacation

401(k) Retirement Plan

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-4%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

-6%
Quantum Computing Report
Sep 10th, 2026
SandboxAQ and Northrop Grumman flight-test AQNav quantum navigation on attritable drone.

SandboxAQ and Northrop Grumman flight-test AQNav quantum navigation on attritable drone. AI and quantum technology enterprise SandboxAQ has completed a successful flight-test campaign of its AQNav magnetic navigation (MagNav) system integrated onto Northrop Grumman's (NYSE: NOC) Lumberjack(R)- a Group 3, one-way-attack attritable Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The demonstration marks the first reported operational flight-test of a MagNav payload deployed on an expendable, attritable drone platform, as well as the first reported pairing of magnetic anomaly navigation with visual navigation sensors on a one-way attack system. The flight-test validated SandboxAQ's new hardware-agnostic, software-first AQNav platform architecture. Designed to process raw sensor telemetry using Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) and physics-based geomagnetic anomaly maps, the software filters out electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by onboard motors and electronics in real time. Deployed directly onto the drone's existing onboard compute infrastructure without requiring specialized external processing units, engineers completed system installation and software integration in under one hour, establishing real-time alternative positioning, navigation, and timing (Alt-PNT) in GPS-denied environments. The initiative builds on SandboxAQ's participation in the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU) Transition of Quantum Sensing (TQS) program and NATO's DIANA cohort, which evaluate quantum magnetometry and MagNav payloads for unjammable military autonomy. With over 450 flight-test hours accumulated across heavy military transports (C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules) and commercial airframes, the addition of attritable Group 3 UAS platforms expands AQNav's dual-use deployment options toward low-cost, mass-manufacturable defense systems. Review the official press release via PR Newswire here, access its previous coverage of SandboxAQ's DIU Transition of Quantum Sensing Program Selection here, and examine its analysis of AQNav Flight Test Performance with Airbus Acubed here. September 9, 2026

PR Newswire
Sep 9th, 2026
SandboxAQ completes world's first quantum navigation test on Northrop Grumman's attritable drone

SandboxAQ has successfully completed the world's first reported test of a magnetic navigation system on an attritable platform, Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack drone. The test also marked the first reported instance of pairing magnetic navigation with visual navigation on a one-way attack platform. The company unveiled its hardware-agnostic AQNav software platform, designed for rapid integration across defence systems. Engineers installed the software into existing systems in under an hour, enabling magnetic navigation capabilities without GPS reliance. AQNav provides unjammable, all-weather navigation that operates across various terrains, including open water and GPS-denied environments. The software runs on existing onboard compute infrastructure, reducing the need for additional processing hardware. Since 2023, AQNav has been flight-tested by military and commercial aerospace partners including Airbus and Boeing, and has participated in US Air Force testing aboard C-17 and C-130J transports.

BBI International
Sep 9th, 2026
SandboxAQ tests quantum-based navigation technology on Northrop Grumman UAS.

SandboxAQ tests quantum-based navigation technology on Northrop Grumman UAS. Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack(R)// Image Source: SandboxAQ September 9, 2026 BY SandboxAQ SandboxAQ has completed a flight test of its AQNav magnetic navigation technology aboard Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack unmanned aircraft system, the companies said Sept. 9. SandboxAQ said the test was the first reported demonstration of a magnetic navigation, or MagNav, system on an attritable aircraft. The company also described it as the first reported pairing of magnetic navigation and visual navigation on an attritable, one-way-attack platform. The flight test involved integrating SandboxAQ's commercial, dual-use AQNav technology with Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack, a Group 3 unmanned aircraft designed for attritable operations. The companies are developing the capability for environments where GPS signals may be unavailable, disrupted or spoofed. Military forces operating unmanned aircraft increasingly face contested navigation environments in which conventional satellite-based positioning can be unreliable. AQNav uses magnetic-field measurements and physics-based models to determine an aircraft's position without depending on satellite signals or other externally transmitted navigation sources. SandboxAQ says the technology can operate passively in different environments and can complement inertial, visual and satellite-based navigation systems. The company positions AQNav as an alternative positioning, navigation and timing, or Alt-PNT, capability for aircraft operating in GPS-denied conditions. Northrop Grumman program manager Max Schuster said the integration is part of the company's effort to develop resilient navigation capabilities for autonomous and unmanned systems. The Lumberjack was designed and developed in less than 14 months from its first flight, according to Northrop Grumman. The company describes the aircraft as a modular Group 3 UAS intended for attritable missions. SandboxAQ said the flight demonstration also highlighted a new software-focused version of its AQNav platform. Unlike a system requiring dedicated navigation hardware, the software-only architecture is designed to process sensor data using existing onboard computing resources. The software applies physics-based models to sensor information in real time and generates continuous navigation data that can be incorporated into a broader positioning, navigation and timing architecture. SandboxAQ said the system supports open-architecture interfaces and is designed to operate with operationally relevant processing latency. The approach could allow manufacturers to integrate the technology into existing and future platforms without adding dedicated processing hardware. Luca Ferrara, general manager of Navigation at SandboxAQ, said the company offers two deployment options: a full-stack system integrated into a platform's architecture or a software-only implementation designed to run within existing systems. For the Lumberjack test, SandboxAQ said engineers installed the AQNav software into the aircraft's existing systems in less than an hour. The company said AQNav has been demonstrated or designed for use across environments including open water, urban areas, feature-limited terrain and GPS-denied conditions. Its passive operation is intended to make navigation less vulnerable to interference directed at satellite-based or other externally transmitted signals. The companies said the flight test demonstrates the potential for combining magnetic and visual navigation with other onboard navigation sources to improve the resilience of autonomous aircraft. SandboxAQ and Northrop Grumman are continuing work on integrating alternative navigation technologies into unmanned systems as militaries seek greater resilience in contested electromagnetic environments.

SD Times
Aug 27th, 2026
SandboxAQ open sources Switch: bring any AI agent into any team chat.

SandboxAQ open sources Switch: bring any AI agent into any team chat. PALO ALTO, Calif. - SandboxAQ today announced Switch, software for building teams of people and AI agents in the collaboration tools companies already use. Switch is open source and can be activated within minutes in any standard enterprise environment at no cost. Switch is a platform for running AI agents together in the collaboration tools where teams already work. It connects agents into shared workspaces such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, so agents and humans can collaborate in the same channel rather than handing work between separate tools. Switch is designed to be platform- and model-agnostic: teams can bring their own agents and connect them into a common workspace. The documentation guides developers through getting Switch running, connecting an agent, and starting an agent workflow in their existing collaboration environment. Developers are building increasingly capable AI agents, but putting them to work across a team still requires integrations and repeated context sharing. Switch turns channels in tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Discord into shared rooms where people and agents work together with the same context, resources, and history. Through MCP, APIs and adapters, Switch is vendor agnostic, so teams can use agents and models across providers without locking their workflows, context, or collaboration environment into a single AI ecosystem. "Every team we talk to has capable agents trapped in separate tools, and a coordination tax eating the productivity those agents were supposed to deliver," said Mohammed Aboul-Magd, General Manager, SandboxAQ. "Switch pulls agents into the channels where teams already work, where knowledge compounds instead of being relearned with every task. If you can message a colleague, you can put an agent to work." Key capabilities available in Switch today include: * Open source: Quick Start and Team editions deploy in minutes, with an extensible architecture for enterprise deployment. No vendor lock-in. * Bring your own agents: Connect existing agents built with Claude Code, Google ADK, LangChain, OpenAI, and other leading frameworks * Work where teams already work: Bring agents into existing collaboration platforms including Slack, Microsoft Teams and Discord. * Keep context with the work: Rooms preserve context and history as people and agents join, leave, and hand off work. * One agent, many rooms: Use the same agent across projects and teams, with each room carrying its own context, participants, and rules. The Switch team used Switch to build Switch, with its engineering, design, and marketing teams collaborating inside rooms throughout development and launch. Switch works through rooms, or channels that form around the work itself. Engineering and security teams can pull specialized agents into a live incident with no briefing required, because the room already holds the timeline. A marketing team can staff a campaign room with research, copy, and design agents, with every asset building on the last. A legal team can add drafting and review agents that already have the deal's full context, making each round of review faster. As agents come and go, the context, history, and rules stay with the work, so the team's output compounds instead of resetting with every hand-off. Switch is part of Flint AI, SandboxAQ's portfolio of AI agent products. It extends the path from testing a single agent locally with the free Flint CLI, which developers use to scan and evaluate individual agents, to putting people and their agents to work together in shared rooms. Switch is available today on GitHub. Developers can get started with the Tutorials, explore the documentation, and learn more at FlintAI.dev. The software is released under Apache 2.0 with the Commons Clause and is free for use by anyone. Users can utilize the software within their enterprise, personally and also issue free products with the software.

CXO DX
Aug 27th, 2026
SandboxAQ launches open-source Switch for human and AI agent collaboration.

SandboxAQ launches open-source Switch for human and AI agent collaboration. August 27, 2026 SandboxAQ has announced Switch, software for building teams of people and AI agents in the collaboration tools companies already use. Switch is open source and can be activated within minutes in any standard enterprise environment at no cost. Switch is a platform for running AI agents together in the collaboration tools where teams already work. It connects agents into shared workspaces such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, so agents and humans can collaborate in the same channel rather than handing work between separate tools. Switch is designed to be platform- and model-agnostic: teams can bring their own agents and connect them into a common workspace. The documentation guides developers through getting Switch running, connecting an agent, and starting an agent workflow in their existing collaboration environment. Developers are building increasingly capable AI agents, but putting them to work across a team still requires integrations and repeated context sharing. Switch turns channels in tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Discord into shared rooms where people and agents work together with the same context, resources, and history. Through MCP, APIs and adapters, Switch is vendor agnostic, so teams can use agents and models across providers without locking their workflows, context, or collaboration environment into a single AI ecosystem. "Every team we talk to has capable agents trapped in separate tools, and a coordination tax eating the productivity those agents were supposed to deliver," said Mohammed Aboul-Magd, General Manager, SandboxAQ. "Switch pulls agents into the channels where teams already work, where knowledge compounds instead of being relearned with every task. If you can message a colleague, you can put an agent to work." Key capabilities available in Switch today include open-source Quick Start and Team editions that can be deployed in minutes, with an extensible architecture for enterprise deployment and no vendor lock-in. Organisations can connect existing agents built with Claude Code, Google ADK, LangChain, OpenAI and other leading frameworks, and bring these agents into collaboration platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Discord. Switch Rooms preserve context and history as people and agents join, leave and hand off work, while the same agent can be used across multiple projects and teams, with each room maintaining its own context, participants and rules. The Switch team used Switch to build Switch, with its engineering, design, and marketing teams collaborating inside rooms throughout development and launch. Switch works through rooms, or channels that form around the work itself. Engineering and security teams can pull specialized agents into a live incident with no briefing required, because the room already holds the timeline. A marketing team can staff a campaign room with research, copy, and design agents, with every asset building on the last. A legal team can add drafting and review agents that already have the deal's full context, making each round of review faster. As agents come and go, the context, history, and rules stay with the work, so the team's output compounds instead of resetting with every hand-off. Switch is part of Flint AI, SandboxAQ's portfolio of AI agent products. It extends the path from testing a single agent locally with the free Flint CLI, which developers use to scan and evaluate individual agents, to putting people and their agents to work together in shared rooms. Switch is available today on GitHub. Developers can get started with the Tutorials, explore the documentation, and learn more at FlintAI.dev. The software is released under Apache 2.0 with the Commons Clause and is free for use by anyone. Users can utilize the software within their enterprise, personally and also issue free products with the software.