AI Researcher

ABOUT THE ROLE

Maincode builds foundation models from first principles on Australian infrastructure. We design architectures, run our own compute, shape the training process, and operate the systems that serve our models.

We have built Matilda, the first large language model built and trained from scratch in Australia. Our new compute cluster is live; we are scaling the next version of Matilda and deploying and serving it live for public access.

We are looking for AI researchers who want to work on the core architecture, training, and evaluation of large-scale language models that power Matilda.

This role is not focused on incremental benchmarking or paper output. You will work directly with the engineers running large-scale training systems and help design models that learn efficiently and behave reliably in production.

WHAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY DO

You will work across the model development loop, from research questions to training runs to evaluation.

This includes:

- Designing and testing architecture changes and training regimes for large language models

- Running controlled experiments at scale and isolating causal effects

- Studying failure modes in reasoning, generalisation, robustness, and representation

- Shaping objectives, data mixtures, and optimisation choices that influence model behaviour

- Building and refining evaluations that measure capability and reliability, not just scores

- Analysing training dynamics using logs, metrics, and model outputs

- Collaborating with ML systems engineers on distributed training and training operations

- Writing clear internal notes that turn experimental results into design decisions

You will spend substantial time in code, training runs, logs, and evaluation outputs. The goal is clarity about what improves the model and why.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We care about depth of reasoning, experimental discipline, and the ability to make progress under ambiguity.

We expect:

- Hands-on expe...