Director, AI Scientific Discovery

Staff Career • La Jolla, CA

3d • $185,000 - $235,000

About The Position

Reporting to the Chief Science Officer and working closely with faculty leadership, this role serves as a bridge between cutting-edge AI methods and real-world biological research applications. The Founding Director will shape institutional AI strategy, stand up sustainable platforms and services, and cultivate a culture of responsible experimentation and scientific rigor. Who We Are The Salk Institute is an internationally renowned research institution that values all members of our scientific community. We seek bold and interactive leaders passionate about exploring new frontiers in science. Our collaborative community embraces perspectives across discipline, professional acumen, and unique life experiences, fostering innovation, and a sense of belonging. Together, we strive to improve the wellbeing of humanity through groundbreaking research. Founded by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature, and fearless in the face of any challenge. Salk's vibrant community has many talented individuals from varied backgrounds, each playing a crucial role in driving our mission forward. From visionary leaders to dedicated administrators and brilliant faculty members , the Institute is united by a shared passion for scientific exploration and innovation.

Requirements

• PhD in machine learning, computational biology, computer science, applied mathematics, statistics, or a related quantitative discipline, with demonstrated research output (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, preprints, or equivalent scholarly contributions in AI/ML or computational science).
• 7–10+ years of experience applying advanced AI/ML methods in research-intensive environments, including direct contribution to scientific projects that resulted in publications, translational outcomes, open-source releases, or externally funded grants.
• Demonstrated expertise in model development, benchmarking, and evaluation, including: Statistical validation and cross-validation methodologies Reproducibility workflows (version control, containerization, experiment tracking, dataset provenance)
• Hands-on experience training and deploying models at scale, including work with: GPU-accelerated environments (e.g., multi-GPU, distributed training, or large-model fine-tuning) HPC clusters and/or cloud-based AI platforms Large-scale biological datasets (e.g., genomics, imaging, proteomics, single-cell, multimodal data)
• 5+ years of experience building or leading computational research initiatives, including management of interdisciplinary teams (scientists, engineers, research software developers) and oversight of technical roadmaps, budgets, or shared scientific services.
• Demonstrated success in securing or contributing to competitive research funding (e.g., NIH, NSF, foundation grants, industry collaborations) involving computational or AI-enabled components.
• Track record of translating complex computational advances into adoptable scientific tools, workflows, or platforms, evidenced by cross-lab uptake, shared infrastructure adoption, or measurable research acceleration.
• Strong working knowledge of responsible AI, data governance, and regulatory considerations relevant to biomedical research (e.g., data privacy, controlled-access datasets, reproducibility standards, ethical model deployment).
• Evidence of scientific leadership and community engagement, such as invited talks, workshop organization, consortium participation, or contributions to open-source AI/scientific ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an institute-wide scientific AI strategy aligned with Salk’s research mission.
• Partner directly with faculty and labs to identify high-impact AI use cases and co-design pilot initiatives.
• Build and scale shared AI services including model access, workflow tooling, and documentation.
• Partner with Salk’s scientific core facilities to drive scientific hypotheses.
• Establish governance frameworks addressing data classification, privacy, reproducibility, and model validation.
• Create best practices for evaluation, benchmarking, and scientific reproducibility of AI-enabled research.
• Design and deliver training workshops, seminars, and office hours to build AI literacy across the Institute.
• Document and publish internal case studies demonstrating measurable research impact.
• Develop operating models, budgets, and staffing plans to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Represent Salk externally in AI research collaborations, consortia, and strategic partnerships.

Benefits

• Salk Institute offers competitive benefits , including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, patient advocacy services, and transit/parking program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees