Position SummaryThe 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 tooling
Qualifications and Experience- Strong 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
- Familiarity with cluster or distributed compute environments
Strong Plus- 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
LocationThis position is hybrid at our office in Emeryville, CA. Some travel may be required from time-to-time for in-person collaboration and work.
CompensationThe posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience and location.
