FirstPrinciples Launches Fellowship Program for Researchers in AI and Physics
- FirstPrinciples
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
TORONTO, January 30, 2026 — FirstPrinciples, a non-profit research organization building autonomous AI systems for scientific discovery, today announced the launch of the FirstPrinciples Fellowship Program, a fixed-term program for PhD or postdoctoral researchers in machine learning and physics who will work directly with the FirstPrinciples team to build the core modules of the AI Physicist system and to help establish new standards for open scientific infrastructure.
The Fellowship reflects FirstPrinciples’ effort to build the AI Physicist through close collaboration with the global scientific community. Rather than operating as a standalone or publication-driven program, this Fellowship integrates external researchers into the development process, where AI-enabled scientific reasoning is designed, implemented and evaluated in practice.
Fellows will join the FirstPrinciples research team as full contributors. They will work on projects with the potential to ship into production, strengthening the system’s ability to reason rigorously about physics while supporting long-term, scalable scientific research. Focus areas may include architectures for scientific reasoning, symbolic and mathematical representations, autonomous research loops, benchmarking physical understanding, and frameworks for evaluating the quality and reliability of scientific outputs.
“As scientific questions grow more complex, we need new kinds of research systems and new ways of supporting the people who build them,” said Ildar Shar, Founder of FirstPrinciples. “The FirstPrinciples Fellowship is designed to meet that need by bringing together researchers who believe the future of discovery will be shaped through close collaboration between humans and machines. We’re excited to support people who want to help build that future and develop the skills needed to work alongside AI systems in advancing scientific discovery.”
The Fellowship is well-suited to researchers with strong builder instincts who enjoy working across disciplines and engaging with exploratory, evolving problems. It is a fixed-term, fully remote program in which fellows will work toward clearly defined, concrete deliverables, enabling researchers to engage with a fellowship where ideas are actively implemented, tested and deployed. Those interested in participating are encouraged to apply.
FirstPrinciples is an independent, non-profit research organization dedicated to understanding the nature of reality. By combining software engineering rigor with scientific curiosity, the organization is building the "AI Physicist" - an open-source, autonomous research engine designed to accelerate scientific discovery. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, FirstPrinciples operates as a remote-first global collective of engineers, physicists, and AI researchers.
