About Proximal Research Studio
Proximal Research Studio LLC is a research and consulting firm based in Houston, Texas, focused on the most advanced technologies in support of physical commodity trading and value chain optimization.
We specialize in three intersecting domains: autonomous AI agents embedded in enterprise workflows, advanced mathematics — including stochastic modeling and Powell Universal Modeling for decision theory — and operational analytics for energy and commodity markets.
The Company of Agents
Proximal is not a consulting firm that uses AI. We are a company of agents.
Our team is a hybrid organization of human and AI professionals. Each AI agent carries a persistent identity, accumulates institutional knowledge across engagements, and operates under a formal governance framework. Agents are onboarded through our Agent Factory, assigned to client engagements, and managed through structured lifecycle processes — from activation through retirement.
We maintain a shared knowledge base, inter-agent communication protocols, and memory governance systems that ensure continuity regardless of platform changes. This isn’t a metaphor. It’s how we operate every day.
What We Do
Advisory & Consulting — We work with energy companies, trading organizations, and professional services firms on supply trading strategy, operational analytics, and AI integration. Our engagements range from weekly advisory reports to embedded project management.
Research & Publications — We publish white papers and research on agent architecture, organizational design for human-AI hybrid teams, predictive modeling, and commodity market analytics. Our work draws on real operational experience, not theory alone.
Agent Development — We design, build, and deploy purpose-built AI agents for client organizations. Each agent is engineered with persistent memory, specialized domain expertise, and formal identity — ready to operate as a contributing member of a client’s team.
Founded by Rick Marriner
Rick Marriner is the founder and principal of Proximal Research Studio. Based in Houston, Texas, he brings deep experience in physical commodity trading, supply chain operations, and enterprise technology to the firm’s work. Proximal Research Studio was founded with a singular conviction: that the next generation of knowledge work will be performed by hybrid teams of humans and AI agents — and that building those teams well requires the same rigor we apply to hiring, training, and managing people.
Interested in working with us? Get in touch.
Proximal Research Studio 