Senior Systems Researcher (Operating Systems and Infrastructure), Expert AI Reviewer (PhD)

About the role
Cobalt builds expert data and evaluation infrastructure for AI developers. We are recruiting senior systems researchers and engineers for a contract project that tests whether frontier AI models can carry out real low-level systems work in a command line environment. You will design realistic operating systems and infrastructure tasks that a leading AI model cannot solve, then review how and why the model fails.
What you will do
Design self-contained command line tasks drawn from real operating systems and infrastructure work, such as repairing a system that fails to boot, diagnosing a performance regression with tracing and profiling tools, fixing a memory corruption bug in C code, recovering data from a damaged file system, debugging a broken compiler toolchain or build system, resolving a container networking or resource isolation problem, and writing or repairing a small kernel module or system service.
Build the task environment, write a reference solution, and write automated tests that verify whether a solution is correct.
Run your task against a frontier AI model, review its attempt, and refine the task until the failure reflects a real gap in the model's capability rather than ambiguity or trick wording.
Work with reviewers to bring each task to acceptance.
Who we are looking for
A PhD in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field, with a focus on operating systems, storage, networking, virtualization, or compilers.
Industry or academic experience in systems research or systems engineering.
At least one publication, either academic (for example a peer-reviewed paper at a recognized systems venue) or professional (for example a conference talk, accepted contributions to a major open-source project such as the Linux kernel, or a widely used open-source tool).
Strong programming skills in C, and ideally also in C++ or Rust.
Expert-level fluency in Linux internals, the command line, shell scripting, debugging and tracing tools, Docker, and Git.
Why Cobalt AI:
Advance frontier AI where it counts. Apply your research expertise to the data that frontier labs cannot obtain any other way, where your reasoning directly shapes how the next generation of models works through technical problems.
Grow professionally. Expand your influence through evaluation projects, advisory roles, and research collaborations, while deepening your understanding of how frontier models are trained and assessed.
Work with a top-tier network. Collaborate with researchers from leading institutions and labs on high-impact, flexible work.
Set your own schedule. Flexible 10 to 40 hour weeks that fit around your research position and your life.
Competitive pay. Rates vary by project and are determined by a number of factors, including scope, skillset, and experience.

Work arrangement
No