Scientific Software Engineer (Polymer Simulations) in Cambridge

About CuspAI

CuspAI is the frontier AI company on a mission to solve the breakthrough materials needed to power human progress. While nature took billions of years to perfect molecules, we are harnessing AI to unlock trillion‑dollar materials breakthroughs in months, not millennia. Our founding team is the most cited in the world, comprised of world‑class researchers in AI, chemistry and engineering. We’re on the cusp of the on‑demand materials era. Join us. We invite you to be part of a diverse, innovative team at the intersection of AI and materials science, working to create impactful partnerships that drive innovation, scalability, and industry collaboration. This work matters. Your work matters.

The Role

Due to expansion into a new area, we are seeking a Scientific Software Engineer (Polymer Simulations) to bridge the gap between our frontier AI models and real‑world industrial materials challenges.

Your Impact

You will build our atomistic polymer simulation capability from the ground up by designing workflows, establishing methodology, and setting the standard for how simulation integrates with our AI platform and experimental partners. This foundational work will directly underpin how CuspAI bridges the atomic scale and the macroscopic properties that determine whether a material succeeds or fails in the real world.

What You Will Do

• Method Development & Research: Design and implement atomistic simulation workflows for polymer systems from polymerisation and melt equilibration through to production runs. Reach beyond MD and implement complementary simulation techniques to tackle complex industry problems. Collaborate with our AI Research team to integrate machine learning models into atomistic simulation workflows, helping bridge the gap between learned representations, simulations, and experiments.
• Experimental Validation & Partner Collaboration: Work closely with experimental partners to ensure simulation outputs are grounded in and validated against real lab measurements—trends must be reproducible, and results must be explainable. Translate partner materials challenges into concrete simulation strategies, then execute and deliver findings with the clarity and rigour that industrial collaborations require.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Act as internal expert on polymer science, providing guidance to AI researchers on physical constraints and realistic material behaviours. Work fluidly across a team of ML researchers, computational chemists, and experimentalists—contributing independently while building on a wide base of complementary expertise around you. Contribute to CuspAI’s core infrastructure and roadmap for multi‑scale materials discovery.

Must Have Skills and Qualifications

• Extensive expertise in polymer simulation. You’ve worked across multiple projects and know from experience what breaks and why.
• Hands‑on experience with mapping simulations onto experiments, including proven ability to reproduce and explain real‑life trends.
• The ability to build simulation workflows from scratch, not just configure existing pipelines. When the right tool doesn’t exist, you write it.
• Readiness to reach beyond your primary toolkit. Polymer simulations are intrinsically multi‑method, multi‑scale, and multi‑discipline, and we expect you to be able to pick up and implement approaches as the science demands.
• Strong software engineering skills, with proficiency in Python, large‑scale projects, and hands‑on experience with simulation packages such as GROMACS or LAMMPS, ASE or commercial equivalents.
• The communication skills to work effectively across disciplines—AI researchers, computational chemists, and experimentalists will all be your collaborators.

Bonus Points (But Not Critical)

• A PhD or equivalent in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or Chemical Engineering, with a focus on multi‑scale or polymer modelling.
• Prior experience in AI4Science such as generative molecular models, machine learning force fields, or property predictions.
• Familiarity with first‑principles simulation methods.
• Experience with HPC environments or cloud‑based simulation at scale.
• Prior experience in a startup or client‑facing technical role.

Additional Considerations

This role could be based in our Cambridge, London, Amsterdam or Berlin offices, with the expectation of being in the office three days per week. Additionally, there may be regular travel required to other locations for collaboration and project work.

What we offer

• A competitive salary plus equity package so you have a stake in the success of the company.
• 28 days holiday.
• Professional development budget for scientific conferences and technical training.
• Opportunity to work at the forefront of AI‑driven scientific discovery with world‑class researchers.
• Direct impact on advancing materials science through cutting‑edge technology.
• Collaborative environment bridging AI research, computational chemistry, and experimental science.

Join us in shaping the future of materials with AI. Together, we can create groundbreaking solutions for a more sustainable world.

Equal Opportunity Employer

CuspAI is an equal opportunities employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and value the unique perspectives and contributions that diversity brings to our team. Please let us know if you require any specific adjustments during or after the interview process. We will do everything we can within reason to accommodate.