Founding Machine Learning Engineer
We are building a physics-informed AI platform that accelerates complex physics simulations, from hours or days to seconds. Our goal is to enable real-time validation and seamless integration into design workflows across engineering industries.
Optineura AI is a deep-tech startup launched by Caltech and ETH Zurich engineers, already collaborating with some of the world’s leading industrial players. Backed by top European VCs, we are building at the frontier of AI, physics, and engineering.
This is not an optimization job. We are looking for someone who thinks deeply, builds boldly, and wants to shape how physical design gets done.
What you will work on
You will play a critical role in building our core technology, designing and training machine learning models that learn from and generalize across complex physics problems.
You will:
• Architect and train models that learn from 3D geometry, material fields, and PDE-driven systems,
• Build scalable training pipelines and work with synthetic and simulation-generated data,
• Collaborate closely with researchers, engineers, and early users to help define what this product becomes,
• Own major components of the ML stack, from data to model to deployment.
About you
You have:
• 5+ years of experience building and deploying machine learning models in real-world applications,
• Comfort working with scientific data, PDEs, or structured physical systems,
• Strong proficiency in Python and PyTorch or JAX (bonus for C++ or CUDA),
• A product mindset, you care about what you build, not just how it works,
• Curiosity, autonomy, and drive, we are early, and every line you write will matter.
Bonus points if you:
• Have built ML models on geometric or mesh-based data,
• Have worked on simulations (FEM, CFD, or custom solvers),
• Have a background in applied physics, engineering, applied math, or scientific computing,
• Are excited about building not just the tech, but also the company.
Location
We are headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and working out of the new AI Startup Hub in Oerlikon.
Why Optineura AI
• We are not optimizing the past, we are creating new workflows for engineers that were impossible before,
• You will work alongside researchers from ETH Zurich and Caltech, with strong academic and industrial links,
• We are part of Switzerland’s AI Startup Hub and already working with global industry leaders,
• You will shape not only the product, but the team, culture, and future of Optineura AI.
Ready to accelerate the future of simulation?
Reach out to alexdonzelli@optineura.com with your CV, a short note, and links to any relevant work.
Optineura AI is a deep-tech startup launched by Caltech and ETH Zurich engineers, already collaborating with some of the world’s leading industrial players. Backed by top European VCs, we are building at the frontier of AI, physics, and engineering.
This is not an optimization job. We are looking for someone who thinks deeply, builds boldly, and wants to shape how physical design gets done.
What you will work on
You will play a critical role in building our core technology, designing and training machine learning models that learn from and generalize across complex physics problems.
You will:
• Architect and train models that learn from 3D geometry, material fields, and PDE-driven systems,
• Build scalable training pipelines and work with synthetic and simulation-generated data,
• Collaborate closely with researchers, engineers, and early users to help define what this product becomes,
• Own major components of the ML stack, from data to model to deployment.
About you
You have:
• 5+ years of experience building and deploying machine learning models in real-world applications,
• Comfort working with scientific data, PDEs, or structured physical systems,
• Strong proficiency in Python and PyTorch or JAX (bonus for C++ or CUDA),
• A product mindset, you care about what you build, not just how it works,
• Curiosity, autonomy, and drive, we are early, and every line you write will matter.
Bonus points if you:
• Have built ML models on geometric or mesh-based data,
• Have worked on simulations (FEM, CFD, or custom solvers),
• Have a background in applied physics, engineering, applied math, or scientific computing,
• Are excited about building not just the tech, but also the company.
Location
We are headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and working out of the new AI Startup Hub in Oerlikon.
Why Optineura AI
• We are not optimizing the past, we are creating new workflows for engineers that were impossible before,
• You will work alongside researchers from ETH Zurich and Caltech, with strong academic and industrial links,
• We are part of Switzerland’s AI Startup Hub and already working with global industry leaders,
• You will shape not only the product, but the team, culture, and future of Optineura AI.
Ready to accelerate the future of simulation?
Reach out to alexdonzelli@optineura.com with your CV, a short note, and links to any relevant work.
Project description
Optineura AI is developing a platform to accelerate and optimize the design of hardware-based products leveraging Computer-Aided Engineering datasets.OUR MISSION:
We are on a mission to simplify the work of engineers and researchers, reducing their reliance on computationally and time-intensive processes such as physics-based simulations. Our long-term vision is to empower engineers and designers to efficiently create high-performance parts quickly and at reduced costs.
OUR TEAM:
We are a team of Caltech and ETH Zürich researchers, combining academic expertise in computational mechanics and machine learning with hands-on industry experience from leading firms like UBS, Boston Consulting Group, and Volkswagen.
Company name
OptiNeura AI
Company location
Zürich
Market
Computer Software
The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
