Commercial Lead For AI & Robotics - Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (Fixed Term for 3 Years)

Position Summary

UAE Nationals are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a Commercial Lead for AI & Robotics, Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics reporting to the Full Professor Electical Engineering.

Center for AI and Robotics is seeking a dynamic and visionary Commercial and Technical Lead to spearhead the translation of AI and robotics innovations from research to real-world applications. This role bridges the gap between cutting-edge academic research and industry adoption, enabling the commercialization of novel technologies while maintaining technical excellence and fostering collaboration across interdisciplinary teams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in AI, robotics, and technology transfer, coupled with exceptional leadership, business acumen, and communication skills. The position requires deep understanding of the research being performed by over 20 faculty members in the center and pitching the most commercially viable ideas in collaboration with center director and co-directors to industry and government organizations for funding. The position also involves possibly creating startups, spinoffs, and licensing to commercialize the intellectual properties developed at the center.

Job Responsibilities:

• Manage the commercialization effort (possibly startups, spinoffs, licensing) and being technical lead to some of the projects
• Oversee the creation of prototypes, proof-of-concept projects, and pilot deployments to validate and demonstrate the impact of research findings
• Understand the research conducted by the projects in Center in AI and Robotics and their level of readiness for commercialization. Drive technical innovation by leading the development and deployment of AI and robotics solutions derived from academic research
• Develop and lead the effort for path to commercialization of the intellectual property. Leading the effort to establish relationships with industry, government organizations, and venture capitalists for funding the commercialization efforts
• Provide technical support to on-going projects at the Center for AI and Robotics
• Assist with reporting needs and generation of patents for all the above efforts

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Automation, or Robotics Engineering degree

Required Experience:

• 10+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination, which must include extensive experience with automation, robotics systems, and AI in university level research environment
• Experience in leading technical projects and good communication skills to pitch research ideas to industry and government organizations for funding
• Administrative and technical support for on-going projects in AI and robotics
• Knowledge of the UAE culture and market
• Detailed understanding and knowledge of robotics, embedded systems and programming (C and C++), hardware and software typically used in robotics (e.g., ROS) and AI (e.g., PyTorch), system integration with at least 10 years of academic or industrial experience on these areas

Preferred Education:

• Master's Degree M.S. Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Automation, or Robotics Engineering degree

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in business development, intellectual property management, and forming industry partnerships
• Familiarity with grant applications, government funding processes, and research contracts

Additional Information

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.