Research & Development (AI) Lead

sïParadigm Diagnostic Informatics; Islamabad; On-site; PKR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

sïParadigm Diagnostic Informatics is seeking a PhD-level R&D Lead to define and drive the applied research agenda in AI and machine learning. This hands-on leadership role blends scientific rigor with practical delivery, collaborating with engineering teams to turn cutting-edge methods into diagnostic and healthcare products.

The role focuses on responsible innovation, mentoring researchers, and translating research into scalable healthcare solutions, with emphasis on privacy and compliance.

Qualifications

• PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field.
• Demonstrated research excellence with publications, patents, or strong applied-research portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the R&D roadmap aligning with product and business goals.
• Lead applied research across ML/DL, NLP/LLMs, and computer vision for healthcare and diagnostics.
• Prototype, validate, and benchmark new approaches; guide work into production with engineering teams.
• Collaborate with backend, frontend, AI, and Python developers to integrate outputs into scalable products.
• Mentor and guide developers and junior researchers, fostering experimentation and rigor.
• Stay ahead of academic and industry developments; represent technical thought leadership (papers, talks).
• Ensure research and data practices respect healthcare data privacy and compliance requirements.

Skills

Python programming

Leadership

Communication

MLOps basics

Education

PhD in AI/ML/CS/Data Science

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

NLP/LLMs

Computer Vision

Job description

We are seeking a PhD-level R&D Lead to define and drive our applied-research agenda in AI and machine learning. This person will lead research initiatives from concept to prototype to production, working hand-in-hand with our engineering teams to translate cutting-edge methods into real diagnostic and healthcare products. This is a hands-on leadership role that blends scientific rigor with practical delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the R&D roadmap, aligning research priorities with the company's product and business goals.
• Lead applied research across machine learning, deep learning, NLP/LLMs, and computer vision, with a focus on healthcare and diagnostic applications.
• Rapidly prototype, validate, and benchmark new approaches, and guide promising work into production alongside engineering teams.
• Collaborate closely with backend, frontend, AI, and Python developers to integrate research outputs into scalable products.
• Mentor and technically guide developers and junior researchers, fostering a culture of experimentation and scientific rigor.
• Stay ahead of academic and industry developments, and represent the company's technical thought leadership (papers, patents, talks where appropriate).
• Ensure research and data practices respect relevant healthcare data privacy and compliance requirements.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of post-degree experience.
• Demonstrated research excellence (publications, patents, or a strong applied-research portfolio).
• Deep, hands-on expertise with modern ML/DL frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and core techniques across deep learning, NLP/LLMs, and/or computer vision.
• Proven ability to translate research into working, production-grade systems.
• Strong programming skills (Python) and familiarity with MLOps, big-data pipelines, and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead and collaborate across technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research or applied experience in healthcare AI, biomedical informatics, computational genomics, or medical imaging.
• Familiarity with healthcare data standards and constraints (e.g., EHR, HL7/FHIR, HIPAA / data privacy).
• Prior experience leading or mentoring a research or technical team.