Machine Learning Engineer

About Mariana Minerals

Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company focused on supplying critical minerals essential for modern energy, AI, and defense technologies. We aim to transform the minerals supply chain through advanced software, automation, and data-driven decision-making. Our mission includes designing, building, commissioning, and operating our own mines and refineries, developing proprietary chemical processes, and running these processes at various scales.

The Role

Mariana Minerals is pioneering the critical minerals supply chain and seeks Machine Learning Engineers to drive its autonomy. Unlike traditional software companies, we are a mining company that builds software. As a Machine Learning Engineer, you will develop and refine machine learning systems that control our mineral refining facilities. Your work will be visible in real-world metrics such as recovery rates, energy consumption, reagent usage, and uptime.

The Tech

This role involves cutting-edge applied AI, particularly reinforcement learning applied to autonomous control of mineral refining circuits. Models adjust operating parameters in real-time to optimize multiple objectives simultaneously. The environment is complex, changing, and requires continuous adaptation. The goal is to achieve fully autonomous refining operations.

What You’ll Do

• Run reinforcement learning experiments in our physically realistic simulators of mineral processing operations.
• Help translate experimental results into improved controllers.
• Build and refine pieces of our training environments, including reward functions, observations, and action logic.
• Train control models, monitor their performance, and investigate performance issues.
• Collaborate with process and chemistry experts to understand the unit operations being modeled.

Desired Qualifications

• 0-4 years of experience in machine learning, reinforcement learning, or scientific computing, or a strong recent graduate with relevant project experience.
• A solid foundation in machine learning fundamentals, with practical experience in deep learning; familiarity with reinforcement learning is beneficial.
• Proficiency in Python and ability to read and debug existing codebases.
• An inquisitive mindset about physical and industrial systems, coupled with a willingness to learn from experts in process engineering and chemistry.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving, shipping code, and addressing challenges early.

Why This Role

We are at the forefront of transforming mining operations through modern software. Every facility we build enhances our software’s capabilities, making subsequent facilities faster and more cost-effective. The opportunity to shape the future of responsible mineral sourcing and supply is unparalleled.

Compensation Range

$120K - $160K