About the Role
We are a seed-stage deeptech company building an advanced materials acceleration platform at the intersection of physics-informed AI, robotics, and autonomous experimentation — with a focus on the energy sector and beyond. Our mission: compress decades of materials discovery into years by connecting frontier machine learning with real-world experimental pipelines.
We are looking for a Head of AI Research to define and lead our AI-for-Materials research agenda. This is a foundational leadership role for someone who wants to shape not just a team, but a new scientific discipline — inventing the representations, learning paradigms, and evaluation frameworks that will underpin the next generation of materials discovery.
What You'll Do
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Define a clear research vision and roadmap for AI-native materials discovery, setting thesis-level bets and identifying high-impact research directions.
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Identify where existing ML paradigms fall short for physical matter and specify what must be built from the ground up.
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Lead development of a Materials World Model that integrates experiments, simulations, and learned representations across scales.
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Collaborate cross-functionally with Programs, Hardware & Automation, and Software Architecture teams to embed research into end-to-end discovery loops.
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Ensure all models and pipelines are grounded in physical reality and continuously validated against experimental feedback — not just data-driven patterns.
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Balance long-horizon research ambitions with near-term deliverables and scientific rigor.
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Build, hire, mentor, and challenge a world-class team of senior ML researchers and computational scientists.
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Foster a culture of deep thinking, honest evaluation, scientific taste, and intellectual courage.
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Influence the broader field through external collaborations, publications, and a clear, opinionated point of view on the future of scientific AI.
What We're Looking For
Required:
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Advanced degree (PhD strongly preferred) in machine learning, computational physics, chemistry, materials science, or a closely related field.
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7+ years of experience in AI/ML research, including demonstrated leadership of senior individual contributors.
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Deep expertise in representation learning, scientific ML, or foundation models with relevance to physical or chemical systems.
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Strong intuition for — or direct background in — physics, chemistry, or materials science and their governing constraints.
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Proven ability to operate at the boundary between theory, systems, and real-world experimental feedback.
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Demonstrated scientific judgment: comfort with irreversible prioritization calls under uncertainty, and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences.
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English fluency required; additional languages are a plus.
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Based in Berlin, Germany or willing to relocate.
Nice to Have:
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Experience working in or alongside autonomous laboratory / high-throughput experimentation environments.
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Background at national labs, research institutes, or research-forward industry settings (e.g., materials, energy, or chemical sectors).
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Track record of cross-disciplinary collaboration bridging ML and physical sciences.
Location & Work Arrangement
This is a full-time, on-site role based in Berlin, Germany. Candidates must be based in Berlin or willing to relocate. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Why This Role
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Rare opportunity to define an entire research discipline at an early-stage company with a technically ambitious mission.
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Work at the frontier of AI and physical science — where models must meet reality.
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Join a team with deep roots in top-tier research, national laboratories, and leading industrial science organizations.
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Shape the team, culture, and scientific direction from the ground up.
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