At SandboxAQ, we are committed to competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation; we continuously benchmark our salaries and total compensation to premium markets to ensure our competitiveness. Individual pay within the above range is determined by job-related skills, experience, education, and geographic location.

With a focus on pay equity and ensuring opportunity for future salary progression, our typical practice is to hire within the first half of the base salary range for a given role and level. This approach allows us to reward performance and increasing expertise consistently as your career develops with us.

We use two geographic pay tiers to reflect the pay differences in local markets:

• Tier 1: Applies to candidates located within 75 miles of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Boston, and Washington, DC.

• Tier 2: Applies to candidates located in all other Locations in the US.

About SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ is a high-growth company delivering AI solutions that address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) power advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, cybersecurity, and other sectors.

We are a global team that is tech-focused and includes experts in AI, chemistry, cybersecurity, physics, mathematics, medicine, engineering, and other specialties. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth capital-backed company in 2022, funded by leading investors and supported by a braintrust of industry leaders.

At SandboxAQ, we’ve cultivated an environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and impact. By investing deeply in our people, we’re building a thriving, global workforce poised to tackle the world's epic challenges. Join us to advance your career in pursuit of an inspiring mission, in a community of like-minded people who value entrepreneurialism, ownership, and transformative impact.

The Opportunity

This residency is part of the AQNav Team, which is responsible for the design, development, and operation of novel navigational methods using GNSS alternatives. As a Geospatial Analyst Resident, you will conduct cutting-edge research in geospatial data integrity and its impact on navigation systems.

This position is targeted toward students currently enrolled in a graduate program who are available for 6 months of part-time (at least 20 hours) or full-time work. The expected start date is Summer 2026, though earlier availability will be considered.

The position is remote within the United States with periodic travel to our office in Palo Alto, California.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will join a small, agile engineering team developing novel Magnetic Navigation systems.

• You will be responsible for characterizing and calculating map errors using state-of-the-art geospatial analysis, specifically focusing on magnetic anomaly maps.

• You will perform detailed trade studies on regional effects, map quality, and flight profiles to determine their impact on navigation performance.

• You will work with the navigation and geophysics team to integrate geospatial insights into navigation algorithms.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Currently enrolled in a Master’s or PhD program in Geophysics, GIS, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field with a strong background in uncertainty quantification and spatial statistics.

• Available for a 6-month residency.

• Proficiency in Python.

• Exposure to magnetic or other potential-field data is strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with git-based development and software development best practices.

Highly Desired Skills & Experience

• Ability to work full time hours.

• Familiarity with navigation systems and algorithms, including GNSS and INS.

• Geostatistics or Gaussian processes modeling.

• Spatially correlated error modeling.

Why Join Us?

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and life outside of work.

• Compensation: Competitive base salary, performance-based incentives or bonuses (where applicable), and equity participation.

• Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents with generous employer premium contributions, retirement savings with company matching, paid parental leave, and inclusive family-building benefits.

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible paid time off, company-wide seasonal breaks, and support for flexible work arrangements that enable sustainable performance.

• Career Development: Opportunities for continuous learning and growth through on-the-job development, cross-functional collaboration, and access to internal learning and development programs.

SandboxAQ Welcomes All

We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and respect, where diverse perspectives are actively sought and valued. Our multidisciplinary environment provides ample opportunity for continuous growth - working alongside humble, empowered, and ambitious colleagues ready to tackle epic challenges.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

Accommodations: We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles. If you need such an accommodation, please let a member of our Recruiting team know.

Read: Guidance for candidates on using AI Tools in interviews

Compensation Range: $86.4K - $129.6K