Research Scientist, Self-Replication

Job Description

Job Description

The Mission

At GRAM, we believe the next great leap for humanity will be physical, not digital. What AGI is to bits, Self-Replication (SR) is to atoms. As an SR research and deployment company, our mission is to make humanity galactic by enabling physical exponential growth. To achieve this, we are conducting foundational research across general-purpose robotics, artificial intelligence, biology, and materials science to enable SR within our lifetimes.

Our first step is to challenge the consensus that robots should look like us. We believe true progress comes from optimizing for function over form. We are creating a new embodiment for intelligence, designed from first principles to build the future physical economy, on and off-world.

The Role

Self-Replication is to the physical world what AGI is to the digital : a foundational, recursively improving capability with a vast and undefined ceiling. The person in this role will not merely apply known principles; they are responsible for discovering the fundamental laws and architecting the core intelligence of this new paradigm. This is an opportunity to define a field.

Your work will be to answer one of the most profound questions in technology : how does a system build a system? The scope of this question is not limited to a single machine. It encompasses the entire chain of logistics, energy, manipulation, and assembly required for a technological ecosystem to grow. Your research will form the bedrock upon which our engineering teams build the future, shaping not just our products, but the very economic and industrial logic of our expansion into the solar system.

This role requires a unique combination of scientific rigor, strategic foresight, and architectural vision. We are looking for a singular mind to lead this charge, establishing a research program from the ground up with the resources and mandate to pursue a multi-decade mission that will alter the course of human history.

Key Responsibilities :

Architect the foundational thesis for Self-Replication at GRAM, creating the intellectual framework that distinguishes our pragmatic, systems-based approach from all other efforts in the field.

Develop the physical genome for all GRAM hardware. This involves establishing the core design principles that ensure our systems are intrinsically capable of being built, assembled, and maintained by other machines.

Lead the conceptual design of "GAIA," the governing intelligence for planetary scale industrial automation, resource allocation, and the expression of collective human ambition.

Act as a key strategic partner to the CEO, translating the company's grand vision into an actionable, multi-decade technical roadmap.

Serve as the company's foremost thought leader on SR, acting as a magnet for attracting a world class team of scientists and engineers.

About You

Your mind operates on two levels simultaneously. On one, you are a physicist and theorist, comfortable with the highest levels of abstraction in information theory, economics, and complex systems. On the other, you are a pragmatic systems thinker with an unnerving intuition for how the real world industrial machine, with all its constraints, inefficiencies, and gritty complexities, actually works. You are driven not just by the pursuit of knowledge, but by the desire to build the systems that will reshape civilization. You are not just a researcher; you are the architect of a new economic and industrial paradigm.

Basic Qualifications :

A PhD in Physics, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.

A history of conceiving and driving forward large scale, open ended, and audacious projects, either in academia or industry.

A demonstrable, deep understanding of complex systems, whether industrial, economic, or biological.

The ability to create and communicate a compelling, long term technical vision.

Preferred Qualifications :

A body of work (publications, patents, or a portfolio of private projects) that points to a sustained intellectual obsession with large scale systems, automation, or the future of industrial technology.

Experience in a strategic role that required bridging the gap between frontier R&D and practical engineering or business constraints.

The ability to develop and defend a multi decade technical roadmap to investors, partners, and employees.

A fundamental, first principles approach to problem solving that is not constrained by existing disciplines or dogma.

Location

This is an on-site role at our research lab in El Segundo, California. We offer significant relocation assistance for exceptional candidates.

Interview Process

After submitting your application, we review your portfolio and any exceptional work you've shipped. If your application demonstrates the caliber we seek, you'll enter our interview process, which is designed for speed and substance. We aim to complete it within one week from start to finish.

Compensation

Your total compensation reflects both the significance of early-stage equity and competitive market rates. The following is the general framework for all roles at GRAM.

• Company-Wide Base Salary Range : $75,000 - $300,000 USD, calibrated to your impact potential
• Equity : Substantial ownership stake befitting founding team members
• Benefits : Health, dental, and vision coverage; all meals are paid for; relocation assistance

GRAM is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate solely on capability and drive.

Why Join?

We are an early, focused team of scientists and engineers building the system that builds itself. GRAM is funded by leading investors and long-term visionaries. We operate without bureaucracy. Ownership and leadership flow to those who demonstrate exceptional capability, and every team member works directly on our core technology. We are based in El Segundo, the heart of America's industrial future, focused on solving one of the most important problems of our time.