Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Eai Faculty Team

About the Opportunity

About the Institute

Do you want to be part of an exciting new Institute focused on the fusion of human and machine intelligence into working AI solutions?

We are launching a pioneering research and innovation hub in AI—one that will shape the way humans and machines collaborate for decades to come. Led by Dr. Usama Fayyad, the Institute for Experiential AI (EAI) is built around the challenges and opportunities made possible by human-machine collaboration. The Institute provides a framework to design, implement, and scale AI-driven technologies in ways that make a true difference to society. Our ability to respond to the opportunities afforded to society will depend on training and building a workforce that is AI-capable and prosperous.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

The Culture

Here at the Institute for Experiential AI (EAI) we are committed to the highest standards in all that we do. Working at the Institute for Experiential AI offers opportunities, an environment, a culture that just aren’t found together anywhere else. This is the right place for you if you’re curious, motivated by the future of technology and want to be part of a unique community that works on high-impact business and societal problems.

Job summary:

Foundational ML/AI

We seek postdocs to advance research in foundations of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and areas closely related to AI.

Trustworthy AI

Significant progress in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has yielded powerful, highly accurate and impactful algorithms that are widely deployed in domains affecting all sectors of society. However, current AI systems are fragile and can have unintended and unfair consequences. We seek postdocs who will work on research that helps us advance research that ensures AI systems are trustworthy (i.e., AI systems that are robust, reliable, safe, privacy preserving, fair, equitable, transparent, interpretable, explainable, ethical, responsible).

AI+

EAI will enable Northeastern faculty to deploy working solutions for real-world problems in countless disciplines, advancing a human-centric approach to data-driven decision making. We are prioritizing the following focus areas in our first few years, where our members can make significant impacts through cross-disciplinary collaboration:

AI in Health

Our EAI Faculty with AI health expertise work closely with scientists, clinicians, and healthcare providers in designing and developing AI algorithms over a wide range of applications for advancing medicine and healthcare. Applications of our work include developing AI that helps understand mechanisms of disease, aids in disease diagnosis, and monitors disease progression. We discover and manage treatment plans, analyze the effects of the environment and personal habits on health, survey pandemic analysis, and develop new drug therapies. The postdoc will work in this interdisciplinary area, mentored by EAI faculty.

AI in Life Sciences

We live in the Golden Age of the Life Sciences and at the cusp of a new chapter, EAI Faculty are building a platform that can impact approaches across R&D in life sciences, drug discovery, automation, -omics-driven hypotheses, systems-based biology, and the translation to patients, to name a few. We are building a multidisciplinary team of experts and end-users aligned to bring impactful solutions to the market to establish a new standard across the academic and industry sectors. This human dimension becomes especially important when sequencing problem statements that can draw the most meaningful impact. The postdoc will work in this interdisciplinary area, mentored by EAI faculty.

AI in Climate

From climate science and water sustainability to urban resilience and disaster preparedness, Artificial Intelligence has shown significant potential to inform and enable transformative action in the areas of climate, sustainability, and the environment. In order to affect real change in climate, sustainability, and the environment, remotely sensed data as well as massive computer models may need to be run and the simulations archived in federal government research organizations. Furthermore, public sector organizations and local governments need to be involved as stakeholders, beneficiaries, and decision makers. With Northeastern University’s roots in experiential learning and interdisciplinary research, the Institute for Experiential AI is well-positioned to collaborate across industry, government, and academia. The postdoc will work in this interdisciplinary area, mentored by EAI faculty.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering, statistics/mathematics, computational social science, ethics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or fields related to AI by the time of appointment. Ph.D. in relevant domains, such as health, life science, or climate and sustainability, with strong background in math and programming will also be considered.

Candidates are not required to have any prior working experience.

We expect postdoctoral fellows to establish and advocate for best practices in scientific reproducibility of all results, and to promote the ethical use of data and algorithms.

The candidate should have the following skills:

Foundational ML/AI

The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering, statistics/mathematics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or fields related to AI by the time of appointment. The candidate must have a proven track record in publishing in AI venues.

Trustworthy AI

The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering, statistics/mathematics, computational social science, ethics, law, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or fields related to AI by the time of appointment. The candidate must have a proven track record in publishing in AI venues, ethics, policy, or law. Candidates with backgrounds outside of CS (for example psychology, philosophy, law) exploring trustworthy and responsible AI are welcome.

AI in Health

The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering, statistics/mathematics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or fields related to AI by the time of appointment. Ph.D. in domains related to health, with strong background in math and programming will also be considered.

AI in Life Sciences

The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering, statistics/mathematics, computational biology, ethics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or fields related to AI by the time of appointment. Ph.D. in domains related to life sciences, with strong background in math and programming will also be considered.

AI in Climate

The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering, statistics/mathematics, physics, climate and environmental science/engineering, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or fields related to AI by the time of appointment. Ph.D. in domains related to climate, resilience and sustainability, with strong background in math, modeling, and programming will also be considered.

Required Documents:

Please submit the following documents in a single Word/ PDF document along with your application-

1. Cover Letter (please specify the specializations you are interested in and indicate up to three faculty mentors/projects)

2. Resume

3. Research Statement

4. Few samples of your Research Papers/Articles

5. At least three recommendation letters

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

90% - Research responsibilities: This includes writing papers, articles, journals, presenting them in the various venues, and writing proposals with their mentors. A postdoc fellowship is a continued training after the PhD, hence the postdoc will be immersed in the mentor/s’ lab (attending lab meetings, etc.) and work closely with the mentor/s. The postdoc will attend EAI seminars and activities. The postdocs will also work on strengthening/building the collaborations in the in AI+ research at EAI.

10% - Mentoring students

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see .