Research Engineer – 3D solver team

At Monumo, we are united by a shared commitment to addressing environmental challenges and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. Together, we are shaping a future where technology meets sustainability.  We are combining human ingenuity with deep tech intelligence to deliver more sustainable designs and solve engineering problems impossible by conventional means.  

Our methodology opens the door to optimal engineering solutions and disruptive new design ideas, that would be impossible, or at the very least improbable, without this blend of great engineers and compute power. 

Our focus, at present, is on the engineering design problem of the electric motor; a mature, but increasingly vital technology with plenty of room for improvement. However, the techniques and the creativity employed to solve the engineering and technical problems of improving motor performance can be applied to other challenges. The tools we are creating can be applied to clean energy generation, aviation, heavy industry, manufacturing, robotics… there’s a lot to optimise! 

Every effort must be made to solve the climate crisis, to protect the Earth’s resources, reduce the materials we use, increase the efficiency and performance of things we make and reduce their impact. Electric motors account for 50% of worldwide electricity consumption and are a key element in transport decarbonisation. We want Monumo to play a meaningful part in this change. 

We are a well-funded start-up based in central Cambridge UK. Our core team brings together complementary skills and expertise from Arm, Microsoft Research, DeepMind, and Academia. We really value everyone’s individual experience and the different perspectives, skills and humour they bring to our team.  

Why we need you 

Your role at Monumo will help us solve complex interdisciplinary problems. As part of our 3D solver team, you’ll join an ongoing effort to develop our internal capabilities for modelling and optimising novel motor designs. You will also collaborate closely with our other teams, including motor design experts, the developers of our existing motor simulation tools, and our ML/AI team. 

The responsibilities of the role include: 

• Integrating in-house and open-source 3D PDE solvers (e.g. ElmerFEM, FEniCSX) for multiphysics simulation of electric machines, and validating against industry-standard proprietary simulation suites. 
• Developing parameterisations of 3D geometry for motors. 
• Researching techniques to accelerate solvers, including the use of ML surrogate models and hardware accelerators. 
• Taking the initiative to research, and collaborate internally, to solve problems in unfamiliar domains. 
• Delivering regular updates internally, and where necessary externally to our customers & partners. 
• Working within our internal codebase, primarily in Python, and upholding software engineering best practices. 

What you’ll bring that we will value 

You may come from a physics, computer science or engineering background – we're very open minded about that. Below are some of the skills and motivations we’re looking for in this role. Don’t worry if you don’t tick all of them! More important is your willingness to grow and learn new things.   

More important: 

• Excellent research and problem-solving skills 
• PhD or equivalent experience in the industry 
• Python for numerical computing (e.g. numpy) 
• Compiled languages (e.g. C / Rust / Zig / Fortran / Julia), and integrating high-performance code with Python (e.g. numba, extension modules) 

Nice-to-have: 

• Physics (electromagnetism, solid mechanics, thermal) 
• FEM and BEM techniques for solving PDEs 
• Creation of meshes from higher-level geometry descriptions 
• Linear & non-linear optimisation algorithms 
• ML techniques pertaining to geometry and PDE approximation 
• Autodiff, and common ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, Jax) 
• Computer microarchitecture, and high-performance software design 
• Using GPUs for compute (e.g. via CUDA, OpenCL) 
• Electric machine design 

You will thrive in our team if you are motivated by 

• Solving real world technical problems by being open minded and using interdisciplinary thinking 
• Learning new things and technologies – expanding your mindset and professional growth 
• Sharing ideas about how we can do things better 
• Having autonomy as well as collaborating with team members from different backgrounds (physics, engineering) 
• Working in a dynamic environment 
• Passion for developing a purpose-driven business that will make a difference in people's lives. 

How we will reward you 

• A starting salary of £70k-£120k depending on experience 
• 30 days holiday a year, plus 8 bank holidays and additional time off between Christmas and New Year to reflect on the past year and prepare for the year ahead 
• After every 5th year at Monumo, you can take a paid sabbatical for 30 days to travel, work on personal projects or simply to recharge and reboot  
• Shared full pay for maternity, paternity or adoption leave (subject to length of service) 
• Support to take care of your mental and physical well being   
• Healthcare, life assurance, a pension plan with employer contributions, a cycle to work scheme and salary sacrifice nursery scheme  
• We all own a bit of Monumo! Everyone who joins will receive a meaningful share of the business in the form of Options  
• We are flexible about how people work, with a minimum of 3 days in the office each week. Most of us are in and around Cambridge or Coventry, in the UK, and make an effort to get together frequently. Communicating openly and regularly helps us get a lot done.  
• We encourage ongoing training and development for everyone - if you have an idea let us know! If it’s viable, we will sponsor it!  
• We pay a referral bonus for new joiners you introduce to us as a thank you, subject to them completing their probationary period.  

Monumo welcomes different people with diverse perspectives 

We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences and believe that a diverse group of people is a massive business benefit. We are committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Monumo a great home for everyone. We are an equal opportunity employer and want to build a work environment where everyone is happy, productive and respectful so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or any additional needs that require thought and support, just let us know.