New York University

Description

The NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research is committed to creating new knowledge about the root causes of poverty, developing evidence-based interventions to address its consequences, and rapidly translating research findings into action through policy and best practices. 

We are seeking to recruit a new member of our team to lead research initiatives for the Institute and with a special focus on our newly launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub. The AI Hub at McSilver has been established to investigate how artificial intelligence-driven systems can be used to equitably address poverty and challenges relating to race and public health, and to provide thought leadership on the implications. The AI Hub at NYU McSilver will address a dearth of information about how AI can impact the lives of people in marginalized communities. Among the hub’s initial areas of focus will be building on the institute’s work to answer whether AI can be used to better predict suicide rates and behaviors by race, geography, income and other demographic variables, with other innovative public health research and interventions to follow. 

Reporting to the Chief AI Officer, and working in collaboration with the executive and senior leadership teams, the Research Director will lend their expertise and leadership to oversee all AI research activities at the NYU McSilver Institute, including but not limited to: study oversight, proposal development and implementation, manuscript preparation, coordination with the AI data analytic team, and strategic planning for the continued growth and expansion of research and evaluation projects. They will work with faculty and students on research projects and will be responsible for the pursuit, development, and expansion of research-oriented activities with strategic partners and funders. 

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the development, implementation, and growth of the AI Hub’s research activities to advance the institute’s impact and mission, in accordance with the grant
• Develop and implement a strategic vision and a related action plan for the development and funding of research and evaluation efforts, and for the upgrading and acquisition of research-related processes and infrastructure
• Contribute to the thought leadership of the institute’s research initiatives, and collaborate on AI research with faculty and students affiliated with the AI Hub.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, or related field with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or related areas
• Research ability demonstrated by a strong publication record of journal and conference publications or submitted/accepted papers in top venues.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with hands-on management leading an academic research team, an AI/ML engineering team focused on deliverables, outputs, and impact
• Demonstrated experience in machine learning or predictive analytics, data science, and/or algorithm development, ML Ops, and conducting research using high-risk or restricted data

Technology Skills

• Hands-on experience using python libraries such as pandas, plotly, streamlit, PyTorch, Tensorflow, XGBoost, and others
• Knowledge of AI/ML tools for MLOps, experiment tracking such as ML Flow, or comparable tools in the GCP or AWS stack as well as DevOps, Git, and container deployment. Strong background in selecting, evaluating, pre-processing, and management of data for AI/ML analysis.
• A data science background, and the ability to develop and define appropriate methods for data collection and processing, tuning, and provenance and traceability are a plus. Data methods that are ethical, transparent, and equitable are a plus.

Preferred qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to develop original research in statistics, and data science.
• Background in applied AI in healthcare, mental health, public health, social sciences and social work is a plus
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Active participation in the scientific community.
• Strong communication skills.

In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $120,000- $150,000. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as specific grant funding and the terms of the research grant when extending an offer.

Currently, NYU McSilver is operating on a hybrid schedule, all staff are expected to be on-site 3 days a week.

Please note: this is a grant-funded position with the opportunity for ongoing renewal reviewed on an annual basis. This position does not qualify for visa sponsorship.