Head of Generative AI Research

Visa Research is seeking an exceptional

Head of Generative AI Research to lead our strategic research initiatives in generative artificial intelligence. This senior leadership role will drive groundbreaking research across GenAI models, agents, reality applications, and privacy-preserving technologies. You will build and lead a world-class team of researchers, establish Visa as a thought leader in GenAI for commerce and payments, and translate cutting-edge research into transformative products and services.

As Head of Generative AI Research, you will shape Visa's GenAI research agenda, collaborate with top academic institutions, publish in premier AI conferences, and work closely with product and engineering teams to deploy GenAI innovations at scale across Visa's global network.

• Define and execute Visa's generative AI research strategy across model development, agent systems, reality applications, and privacy technologies
• Lead research initiatives in large language models (LLMs), multimodal models, diffusion models, and foundation model development
• Drive innovation in GenAI agents for autonomous decision-making, planning, and reasoning in commerce applications
• Pioneer research in GenAI reality applications including virtual shopping experiences, digital twins, and immersive commerce
• Advance privacy-preserving GenAI techniques including federated learning, differential privacy, and secure multi-party computation

• Build, mentor, and lead a world-class team of GenAI researchers and scientists
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and academic excellence
• Develop talent through mentorship, training, and career development opportunities
• Collaborate with recruiting to attract top-tier research talent from academia and industry
• Conduct original research in generative AI with applications to payments, commerce, risk management, and customer experience
• Develop novel GenAI architectures, training methodologies, and evaluation frameworks
• Create innovative agent systems for intelligent automation, recommendation, and personalization
• Design privacy-preserving GenAI solutions that protect sensitive financial data while enabling powerful AI capabilities
• Explore GenAI applications in fraud detection, risk modeling, customer service, and merchant solutions

• Establish and maintain partnerships with leading universities and research institutions
• Publish research findings in top-tier AI/ML publications
• Present at academic conferences, industry forums, and technical symposia
• Serve on program committees and editorial boards for premier AI venues
• Contribute to the broader AI research community through open-source projects and collaborations

• Translate research breakthroughs into practical solutions for Visa's products and services
• Collaborate with product management, engineering, and business teams to identify high-impact research opportunities
• Prototype and pilot GenAI solutions for real-world deployment
• Provide technical leadership and guidance on GenAI adoption across Visa
• Measure and communicate research impact through metrics, demos, and business outcomes

• Establish Visa as a leader in responsible and innovative GenAI research
• Represent Visa Research at industry conferences, media engagements, and public forums
• Contribute to AI policy discussions, standards development, and ethical AI frameworks
• Publish technical blogs, whitepapers, and research reports
• Build Visa's reputation as a destination for world-class GenAI research talent

This is a hybrid position.

Expectationofdays intheoffice will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 10 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/MBA /JD/MD), or a minimum of 5 years of work experience with a PhD

• 15 or more years of experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 12 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, or MD), PhD with 9+ years of experience
• 10+ years of experience in AI/ML research, with 5+ years in a research leadership role managing researchers and research budgets/resources.
• Programming proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, Tensor Flow, JAX), along with a strong mathematical foundation (statistics, optimization, probability).
• Experience with distributed training, GPU optimization, and large-scale ML infrastructure, including proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and MLOps practices.
• Proven track record of impactful research demonstrated by publications in top-tier venues, patents or intellectual property in AI/ML technologies, and contributions to open-source AI projects or frameworks.
• Experience in financial services, payments, or e-commerce domains, with knowledge of areas like fraud detection, risk modeling, or recommendation systems.
• Experience collaborating with…