Aaru operates at the frontier of predictive intelligence, using AI to simulate and predict human behavior at scale. By generating and deploying instances of artificial intelligence that mirror humans, called agents, Aaru simulates entire populations with unprecedented accuracy. Our partners work with us for many reasons: they leverage Aaru to refine strategy in volatile geopolitical climates, cut new product innovation timelines from months to minutes, and deploy marketing campaigns that win in an era where consumers have never been harder to understand. We provide organizations with invaluable foresight, empowering them to anticipate outcomes and proactively make the right decisions at the right time, every time.
We're a small, dedicated, mission-driven team and we intend to stay that way. We believe the best work happens when exceptionally talented people are given ownership, trust and the space to operate without bureaucratic friction. We work with urgency and intellectual honesty and expect new team members to match our velocity. We seek individuals who thrive at the frontier, who push beyond conventional limits, who bring curiosity and conviction in equal measure, and who want their work to have demonstrable impact in the world. If you're energized by the idea of a small team doing things that feel impossible, let’s build together.
ABOUT THE ROLEAs a Researcher at Aaru, you will design, build, and improve the simulation systems that generate high-fidelity synthetic agents from real-world profiles. The Research team is responsible for Aaru's core simulation capabilities — the technology that enables our customers to test decisions against realistic populations before committing to them.
RESPONSIBILITIESDesign and advance methods for synthesizing realistic agents from structured and unstructured profile data
Build and evaluate simulation pipelines that produce population-level distributional accuracy across demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral dimensions
Develop techniques for grounding agent behavior in real-world data sources — surveys, behavioral traces, psychometric instruments, and domain-specific datasets
Design hybrid architectures that combine large language models with classical methods from computational social science, psychometrics, and survey methodology
Build rigorous evaluation frameworks that measure simulation quality against known ground-truth distributions (e.g., GSS, census, proprietary panel data)
Identify and close gaps between simulated and observed population behavior through iterative experimentation
You have deep experience with synthetic data generation, agent-based modeling, computational social science, or population simulation
You are interested in using LLMs as a simulation substrate — not just for text generation, but for producing structured behavioral outputs that hold up under statistical scrutiny
You think carefully about what it means for a simulation to be "accurate" and can articulate the difference between individual-level plausibility and distributional fidelity
You have a PhD in ML, computational social science, cognitive science, statistics, psychometrics, or a quantitative field — or equivalent depth from industry research
You communicate clearly about what's working and what isn't, including when results are null or ambiguous
You move fast and are comfortable producing work at high velocity without sacrificing rigor
Have built systems that generate or evaluate synthetic populations at scale
Have experience with survey methodology, psychometrics, or demographic modeling
Have published work on agent-based simulation, synthetic data, or LLM-based behavioral modeling
Have worked in a high-velocity research environment where shipping matters as much as rigor
This role is based in New York City. Aaru is an in-person company, working 5 days a week in office. Candidates are expected to be located within the New York City metropolitan area or open to relocation.
BENEFITSAt Aaru, we take care of our people. In addition to a competitive base salary and equity participation, we offer comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, visa sponsorship and relocation support, and various other benefits and perks.
Skills Required
- Deep experience with synthetic data generation, agent-based modeling, computational social science, or population simulation
- Experience using or applying large language models (LLMs) as a simulation substrate
- Ability to reason about simulation accuracy, distinguishing individual plausibility from distributional fidelity
- PhD in ML, computational social science, cognitive science, statistics, psychometrics, or equivalent industry research experience
- Strong communication skills, including clear reporting of null or ambiguous results
- Ability to move fast and produce high-velocity research without sacrificing rigor
- Located in the New York City metropolitan area or open to relocation (5 days/week in-office)
- Experience building systems that generate or evaluate synthetic populations at scale
- Experience with survey methodology, psychometrics, or demographic modeling
- Published work on agent-based simulation, synthetic data, or LLM-based behavioral modeling
- Experience in a high-velocity research environment where shipping matters as much as rigor
What We Do
Aaru is an AI company dedicated to rethinking the science of prediction by using simulation software based on a multi-agent approach. The company recreates the world to simulate entire populations, providing highly accurate predictive intelligence for decision-making. By replacing traditional surveys with AI-driven simulations of human behavior, Aaru helps operators across various industries generate analysis, segmentation, and strategic pathways to achieve decision dominance.
