Call Founding Heads of R&D Labs

Call for Founding Heads of R&D Labs
The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence AI4I is seeking for young, talented and ambitious Heads of R&D Laboratories to lead the next generation of AI research and development in AI-driven industries
We welcome applications from researchers working across a wide range of AI domains – including Symbolic, Generative, Agentic, and Physical AI – as well as frontier research areas such as causality, neuro-symbolic AI, self-supervised learning, and AI for scientific discovery, who are keen to explore frontier questions and drive transformational applications  are eager to receive proposals to establish R&D Laboratories in areas such as, among others, Reasoning & Planning, Edge Intelligence, Advanced Computer Vision, Synthetic Data, Human Machine Interfaces, and Controls (cf.

below).
Our R&D Labs operate at the convergence of foundational research and real-world deployment (TRL 2 to TRL
6). They support short- and long-term innovation across strategic application domains, including manufacturing, robotics, engineering, product development, software development and testing, autonomous and decision systems, and new material discovery.

Location:

AI4I, OGR, Turin, Italy
Hybrid work:
Flexible arrangements can be negotiated.
, 11:59 PM CET
About Our R&D Labs
R&D Labs are the cornerstone of the Institute’s organizational structure. Each Lab may focus on either foundational AI methods or application-driven domains and is designed to expand well beyond its core endowment by attracting industrial collaborations and competitive research funding.
Each Lab will be at the frontier between fundamental AI methodologies and their rapid, scalable deployment in industry. The overarching goal is to deliver high-impact solutions while contributing to long-term technological leadership. Labs can integrate cross-disciplinary approaches (e.g., human-centered design, decision science, behavioral insights) to ensure AI technologies are adopted effectively and responsibly.
Labs are at the center of an articulated organization:

Collaboration:

Collaboration and cross-fertilization between labs are strongly encouraged.
HPC & AI Supercomputing Resources:
An extensive GPU-based accelerated computing facility and high-performance data infrastructure is available to support lab activities.
Engineering Support: A dedicated Engineering unit provides on-demand, specialized support in high-performance computing (HPC), software engineering, data engineering, and more.
The Institute for Advanced Study:
The FCSP Institute of Advanced Study, as an integral part of AI4I organization, provides continuous contact with and exposure to cutting‑edge AI research at the world’s leading academic and industrial organizations, enriching and supporting advanced research activities.
Academic Collaborations: A broad network of collaborations with leading research institutions and universities, through joint research programs, international grants, and doctoral grants, provides opportunities to broaden and deepen the scope of research.
Entrepreneurship: A “spin‑off friendly” policy and a network of agreements with VC funds, accelerators, etc., encourage entrepreneurship among AI4I researchers. This is further facilitated by our physical proximity to key players in the deep‑tech startup ecosystem.
Business Development: A dedicated business development unit ensures continuous exposure to numerous industrial partners, expanding opportunities for research and development. It also supports securing additional funding opportunities such as European and national grants.

What We Offer

A renewable 4-year appointment, with a pathway to a permanent position based on performance (KPIs and Targets).
An internationally competitive compensation package, enhanced by substantial incentive schemes, ensuring outstanding take‑home pay considering the combination of cost of living and dedicated tax benefits.
A start‑up grant comparable in scale to an ERC Starting Grant, directly managed by the Lab Head.
Tax exemption of up to 90% for eligible researchers relocating to Italy.
Relocation package for national and international…