Head of Experimentation

Overview

Physical Superintelligence (PSI) combines physics, AI, and engineering to accelerate scientific discovery and develop consequential technologies.

We are seeking a Head of Experimentation to build and lead our physical experimental program. You will turn scientific questions into decisive experiments, develop the team and laboratory capabilities to execute them, and ensure that results withstand independent scrutiny.

This is a hands-on leadership role, working closely with PSI’s Physics, AI, and Engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Set experimental priorities and translate research objectives into executable programs with clear milestones and decision criteria.
• Lead the design, commissioning, and operation of experimental apparatus and measurement systems.
• Recruit, manage, and develop experimental physicists, research engineers, and technicians.
• Establish rigorous standards for calibration, data quality, uncertainty analysis, and reproducibility.
• Connect experimental results to modeling, AI research, and further technology development.
• Manage equipment plans, budgets, schedules, and shared laboratory resources, with appropriate safety oversight.
• Stay technically engaged: review experimental designs, troubleshoot difficult measurements, and make evidence-based decisions about where to invest or stop.

What We Are Looking For

• Eight or more years of experimental research or scientific instrumentation experience, including at least three years of direct people management.
• A demonstrated record of personally designing, building, and operating complex experimental systems and producing defensible results.
• Deep expertise in at least one experimental physics discipline, with the breadth and judgment to lead specialists outside your field.
• Strong command of calibration, measurement uncertainty, systematic errors, and experimental controls.
• Experience hiring technical teams and managing laboratory resources, equipment budgets, and demanding development schedules.
• Fluency in scientific programming, data analysis, and instrument automation, with the ability to use and critically evaluate AI-assisted tools.
• A PhD in physics, applied physics, engineering, or an equivalent record of experimental achievement.
• Nice to Have
• Experience establishing a laboratory or developing first-of-a-kind scientific instruments.
• Experience translating experimental results into reliable prototypes or industrial applications.
• Work spanning multidisciplinary research teams, industry, or national laboratories.
• How We Work
• We value ambitious scientific judgment, technical ownership, and reliable execution. We use AI throughout our work and hold its outputs to the same evidentiary standards as any other research. Leaders are expected to remain close to the science, the apparatus, and the people doing the work.