Principal Researcher

The University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business seeks a Principal Researcher to enable the CLARITY project and collaborate with faculty on cutting-edge AI research. The role emphasizes leading technical decisions, building robust research pipelines, and presenting findings at conferences.

The position requires extensive experience with large language models, multimodal AI, and user-facing AI systems, with a strong emphasis on safety rails, clinical reliability, and rigorous evaluation.

Qualifications

• PhD or ABD status by start date preferred.
• 5-7 years of related work experience.
• Experience with large language models and multimodal AI systems.
• Ability to build user-facing AI systems and web interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Conducts collaborative research with faculty for conferences and journals.
• Leads CLARITY AI pipeline design and model selection.
• Designs end-to-end integration of LLM text processing with video tools.
• Develops secure, patient-facing interfaces for video access.
• Writes reports, articles and manuscripts.
• Guides data collection, evaluation and analysis.

Skills

LLMs experience

AI system design

Web interfaces

AI alignment

Team leadership

Education

ABD status

PhD preferred

PhD required

Tools

LLM tooling

Data processing tools

Multimodal AI tools

Job description

DepartmentBooth Faculty Research - Research Professional

About the Department

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. Since 1898, the school has produced ideas and leaders that shape the world of business. Their rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education transforms students into confident, effective, respected business leaders prepared to face the toughest challenges. Chicago Booth has the finest set of facilities of any business school in the world. Each of the four campuses (two in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong) reflects the architectural traditions of its environs while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Chicago Booth is proud to claim:

• an unmatched faculty.
• degree and open enrollment programs offered on three continents.
• a global body of nearly 56,000 accomplished alumni.
• strong and growing corporate relationships that provide a wealth of lifelong career opportunities.

As part of the world-renowned University of Chicago, Chicago Booth shares the University's core values that shape the distinctive intellectual culture. At Booth, they constantly question and test ideas, and seek proof. This extraordinarily effective approach to business leads to new ideas and innovative solutions. Seven of the Booth faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for these ideas - the first business school to achieve this accomplishment. For more information about the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, please visit: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/.

Job Summary

The Principal Researcher provides a supportive research environment to a highly qualified recent PhD. The Principal Researcher collaborates with Emma Levine and Pietro Veronesi to enable research for the CLARITY (Clinician-Led AI Resources Individualized to You) project. The PR will be a major collaborator on scholarly work, and may be required to present that research at academic conferences. This position is expected to last one year with the possibility of a second.

Responsibilities

• Conducts collaborative research with faculty to be presented at academic forums and published in peer-reviewed academic journals.
• Collects data and conducts statistical analysis.
• Conducts literature reviews and perform research.
• Leads system architecture decisions, model selection, and fine-tuning strategies for the CLARITY AI pipeline.
• Designs and implements end-to-end integration of LLM-based text processing with video generation tools.
• Develops guardrails to ensure factual accuracy, appropriate uncertainty communication, and clinical reliability.
• Leads development of a secure, patient-facing interface that allows patients to access, review, and audit their personalized videos.
• Collaborates with other staff and faculty on the CLARITY project.
• Designs experiments to test prompting strategies and personalization features; analyzes experimental data.
• Supports clinical trial development alongside medical faculty.
• Uses subject matter and best practices knowledge to perform lab and/or research-related duties and tasks. Works independently to assist with project design.
• Guides data collection, evaluation and analysis.
• Designs and manages databases.
• Writes reports, articles and manuscripts.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Education: ABD status by start date, PhD preferred by start date in a field relevant to the research being conducted, such as computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational linguistics, or a closely related field. PhD required after one year of employment.

Technical Skills or Knowledge: Demonstrated experience working with large language models (LLMs) and/or multimodal generative AI systems. Designing, implementing, and evaluating applied AI systems in real-world settings. Fine-tuning or adapting foundation models. Background with human-centered AI, AI alignment, or safety/guardrail design. Building user-facing AI systems or web-based interfaces. Working with healthcare data or other high-stakes domains.

Preferred Competencies

Demonstrated ability to lead collaborative technical teams.

Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.

Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes. Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, and persuasion skills. Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions. Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, including in person, email, and phone. Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.

Working Conditions

This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office.

Job FamilyResearchRole ImpactIndividual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours37.5

Drug Test Required

NoHealth Screen Required

NoMotor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

Pay Rate TypeSalary

FLSA StatusExempt

$75,000.00The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits EligibleYes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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