AI Research Scientist, Applied AI

At Slingshot Aerospace, we're on a mission to make space safer and more secure for everyone. Our work directly impacts global security, disaster response, climate monitoring, and the critical infrastructure that connects our world. We're a team of builders, thinkers, and problem-solvers who believe that the next generation of space operations will be powered by better data and smarter software.

We move fast, we're not afraid to fail, and we believe the best ideas can come from anywhere—whether you're in engineering, sales, product, or operations. If you want to work on something that truly matters, with people who care deeply about the impact we're making and help shape the future of an industry that's just getting started, you're in the right place.

Meet Slingshot 

At Slingshot Aerospace, we’re on a mission to make space safer and more secure for everyone. Our work directly impacts global security, disaster response, climate monitoring, and the critical infrastructure that connects our world. We’re a team of builders, thinkers, and problem-solvers who believe that the next generation of space operations will be powered by better data and smarter software. 

What You’ll Be Launching 

As an AI Research Scientist, you will join the AI and Innovation department within Slingshot’s Technology organization. You will contribute directly to Slingshot’s vision to accelerate space sustainability and create a safer, more connected world. You will participate in the identification, development, and integration of novel algorithms and models, leveraging diverse data streams and advanced intelligence engines, and the subsequent integration of those technologies into prototypes and broader AI systems across the Slingshot platform. 

Your Mission (Should you choose to accept it) 

• Engage in relevant research and development (R&D) of AI systems, models, and advanced machine learning algorithms that augment physics-driven modeling and simulation systems 

• Explore and implement AI-powered simulation tooling in support of AI workflows through reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems, and hybrid modeling approaches

• Collaborate with research, engineering, and product teams to build AI-powered solutions that meet mission-critical modeling and decision-support needs

• Engage in and support the drafting and review of conference and journal articles and presentations, sharing advances with both internal stakeholders and the wider research community.

• Contribute content to technical invention disclosures, including associated narrative, graphics, and engagements in support of patent development

• Perform additional responsibilities (no more than 10% of duties) in support of the company’s technology and product development initiatives 

Pre-flight Checklist 

• Must have an Active US Security Clearance (Secret Minimum, Top Secret Preferred) US Security Clearances

• Masters in related field + Minimum of 2 years' experience in similar role (or PhD with relevant research projects) 

• AI/ML expertise

  • Demonstrable experience in the application of AI/ML methodologies including, but not limited to, deep learning, generative models (e.g. LLMs, diffusion models), agentic systems, reinforcement learning, computer vision, or other emerging areas of AI research 

• Software development experience

  • Familiarity with object-oriented paradigms and functional programming principles

  • Expertise in at least one modern high-level programming language (e.g. Python, R, C++, Java)

  • Collaborative source code management and maintenance processes (e.g. Github, code reviews, CI/CD)

• Ability to work within multi-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced, evolving operational environment that spans military, government, and industry partners 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Passion for Space and AI/ML applications 

Bonus Cargo 

• Experience with fine-tuning LLMs, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and domain adaptation for scientific/engineering datasets using modern ML frameworks and model hubs

• Familiarity with Reinforcement Learning (RL) and multi-agent reinforcement learning to enable training agents that learn strategies in simulation and real-world contexts

• Practical understanding of neural networks, transformer architectures, attention mechanisms, and optimization methods to extend or fine-tune transformer-based models

• Experience building reusable internal tools (connectors, simulation frameworks, evaluation harnesses) to refine simulation-based datasets for AI agent training in support of research, data-driven insights/analytics, and model development  

• Hands-on experience supporting the development and deployment of supervised and/or unsupervised learning models

• One or more peer reviewed articles, conference papers, and/or presentations in a science or engineering discipline 

• Demonstrable combined experience indicative of skillsets required to utilize APIs, microservices, and workflows that merge physics simulation engines with AI training pipelines

• Familiarity with common agentic protocols (MCP, A2A, etc...)  

• Practical working experience with physics-based simulation, and statistical methods (e.g. monte Carlo methods, probabilistic modeling, and Bayesian methods)

• Working knowledge of parallel computing, GPU acceleration, and performance optimization for simulations and training workloads.

• Experience with space and astrodynamics is valuable but not required 

We're building a constellation here, not looking for identical satellites. Every member of the team brings different capabilities to the same mission. If your orbit intersects with ours and you're mission-ready, send it. 

Location: Remote, US  

Salary Range: $120,000 - $170,000 + Equity and Benefits 

Classification: Full-time Exempt (computer professional exemption) 

US-based Candidates: we are currently only able to hire residents of the following U.S. states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV We are unable to consider candidates residing in other U.S. states at this time.

Internationally-based Candidates: we are currently only able to hire residents of the following locations: United Kingdom. We are unable to consider candidates residing in other countries at this time.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion are key to our success. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, who share a passion for creating a safer, more connected world. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity, but also national origin, citizenship, sex, color, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic that is part of one’s identity. All of our employees’ points of view are key to our success, and we embrace individuality.