Associate Director, Autonomous Science & Lab AI Leadership

North Carolina State University; North Carolina; On-site; USD 110,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Retirement programs

Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

Job summary

NC State University invites applications for Associate Director of Autonomous Science in Raleigh, NC. This leadership role will advance SPEED’s autonomous laboratories by translating scientific questions into closed-loop experiments and coordinating cross-disciplinary teams across science, robotics, and AI.

You will drive end-to-end autonomous workflows, define integration requirements, and push forward AI-enabled experimentation while ensuring rigorous, reproducible results.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, robotics, or closely related field.
• Five or more years of relevant autonomous experimentation, robotics, AI for science, or related platform development.
• Demonstrated experience designing and executing experimental research in chemistry, materials science, molecular science, catalysis, or related field.
• Ability to translate user questions into executable experimental plans and measurable objectives.
• Ability to work primarily on site in laboratory environments.
• Strong communication and leadership of multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and operation of end-to-end autonomous experimentation workflows across SPEED’s robotic laboratories.
• Translate scientific goals into closed-loop systems spanning experimental design, robotic execution, measurement, analysis, interpretation, and AI-guided experiment selection.
• Define requirements for integrating synthesis, processing, characterization, optimization, and autonomous decision-making.
• Advance AI methods in laboratory systems, including Bayesian optimization and active learning.
• Establish standards for validity, uncertainty quantification, reproducibility, and experimental provenance.
• Mentor researchers and coordinate multidisciplinary teams across science, robotics, and software.

Skills

Scientific leadership

Mentorship

Communication skills

On-site work capability

Education

PhD in related field

Job description

NC State University invites applications for Associate Director of Autonomous Science in Raleigh, NC. This leadership role will advance SPEED’s autonomous laboratories by translating scientific questions into closed-loop experiments and coordinating cross-disciplinary teams across science, robotics, and AI.

You will drive end-to-end autonomous workflows, define integration requirements, and push forward AI-enabled experimentation while ensuring rigorous, reproducible results.