ML Researcher

About Loka Loka is building an Economic World Model — a differentiable simulator of economic reality that "pre-runs" major economic and public-policy decisions before they happen. The core is not yet another forecasting model, but an orchestration of causal reasoning, multi-agent dynamics, and time-series & behavioral modeling that outputs a set of possible futures plus actionable levers. Our Founding Scientist is Joseph Sifakis, recipient of the Turing Award and pioneer of formal verification. First deployment scenario: public funding / aid allocation decisions.

The work

Turn the architecture into a model that runs.

• Design and implement the time-series models (evolution of economic / social indicators) and behavioral models (multi-agent responses to interventions).
• Integrate these models into the overall world-model framework — causal layer, state representation, interventions & counterfactuals.
• Get an end-to-end pipeline running in a bounded scenario (NGO / public funding allocation) and backtest it against historical data.
• Deliver on a stable weekly cadence and participate in key reviews.

Requirements

• PhD (in progress or completed) in ML, Statistics, Computational Economics, Complex Systems, or a related field.
• Strong capabilities in time-series modeling and/or multi-agent / behavioral modeling.
• Able to independently turn research ideas into runnable, backtestable code (Python / PyTorch, etc.).
• Critical: a reliable weekly time investment and on-time delivery. Part-time is fine, but the delivery rhythm must be dependable — outputs on schedule, presence at required reviews. We are results-oriented, but we need predictable output.

Nice to have

• Any of: graph neural networks; causal inference (SCM / do-calculus); agent-based modeling.
• Background in modeling economic, financial, policy, or social systems.
• Relevant publications or demonstrable modeling projects.

What you'll get

• Work alongside Turing Award laureate Joseph Sifakis and the founding team on a direction almost no one has explored.
• Help define the core model of a new category.
• Competitive part-time compensation plus early-stage equity.

Logistics

Commitment

Part-time, with a dependable weekly cadence.

Location

Remote-friendly.

Compensation ¥300–800 per day, plus early-stage equity.

Work with

Joseph Sifakis (Turing Award) and the founding team.