Research Area Director – Artificial Intelligence; RE​/R4

Reference: _DIR_AII_RAD

Job title: Research Area Director – Artificial Intelligence (RE4/R4)

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses Mare Nostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe.

The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is a leading European center in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Within its rapidly growing AI Institute, BSC-CNS is strengthening its leadership at the intersection of foundational AI, large-scale computing, and AI for science and industry.

BSC-CNS is seeking an internationally recognized scientific leader to serve as Research Area Director in Artificial Intelligence, responsible for defining, growing, and leading one or more strategic AI research domains (e.g., GenAI and LLMs, multimodal AI, agentic systems, trustworthy AI, or AI for science and HPC). This role combines world-class scientific leadership with strategic, organizational, and programmatic responsibility, shaping the long-term direction of AI research at BSC and contributing directly to the Institute’s global positioning.

• Define and drive the long-term scientific vision (1–5 years) of major AI research areas aligned with the AI Institute and BSC strategy.
• Maintain a high-impact personal research agenda with international visibility through top-tier publications and scientific leadership.
• Promote excellence in responsible, reproducible, and trustworthy AI research practices.
• Guide the evolution of research themes in response to emerging AI trends and European strategic priorities.

• Lead and coordinate multiple research groups and their group leaders, including senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and engineers.
• Mentor research managers and senior scientists, supporting their career development and scientific independence.
• Build a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive research culture across teams.
• Oversee resource planning, hiring strategies, and prioritization of research efforts across the area.

• Contribute directly to the medium- and long-term strategy of the AI Institute and BSC in AI and digital technologies.
• Identify opportunities for new research lines, institutional growth, and cross-area synergies (e.g., with HPC, Earth sciences, health, or engineering).
• Position the research area at the forefront of European and global AI agendas.

• Lead and shape large-scale national and European research programs (Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, EuroHPC, EIC, etc.).
• Act as Principal Investigator or scientific coordinator of strategic…