Director of AI for Science - Earth & Space Systems

University of Alabama in Huntsville; Huntsville (AL); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Alabama in Huntsville seeks a Principal Research Scientist VIII/Director of AI for Science to lead strategic AI research across Earth and space sciences. The role shapes institutional research strategy, oversees federally funded initiatives, and builds multidisciplinary teams to translate AI advances into scientific capabilities.

The ideal candidate will have a distinguished publication record, extensive leadership experience, and a track record of partnering with government,

Qualifications

• PhD in Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Earth Science, Physics, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 13.5 years of full-time verifiable work experience.
• 15+ years of progressively responsible research leadership experience.
• Internationally recognized expertise in AI for Science or related fields.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary programs and distributed teams.
• Proven experience managing multimillion-dollar federally funded initiatives.
• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
• Proven success building strategic partnerships across government, academia, and industry.
• Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a long-term research vision for AI-enabled scientific discovery across Earth, climate, atmospheric, environmental, and space sciences.
• Lead development of enterprise-scale AI strategies, including foundation models, scientific ML, LLMs, and agentic AI systems for science.
• Establish institutional priorities and roadmaps for AI for Science, scientific data systems, and computational research infrastructure.
• Lead and manage a diverse portfolio of federally funded research and technology programs.
• Build and oversee multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, data scientists, software developers, and external collaborators.
• Identify and secure new funding opportunities through federal agencies, industry partnerships, and collaborations.
• Establish and manage strategic collaborations with federal agencies, academia, industry, and international organizations.

Skills

AI for Science leadership

Strategic program building

Cross-functional leadership

Federally funded initiatives

Executive communication

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Job description

University of Alabama in Huntsville seeks a Principal Research Scientist VIII/Director of AI for Science to lead strategic AI research across Earth and space sciences. The role shapes institutional research strategy, oversees federally funded initiatives, and builds multidisciplinary teams to translate AI advances into scientific capabilities.

The ideal candidate will have a distinguished publication record, extensive leadership experience, and a track record of partnering with government,