Team Leader – AI Engineering & Automation

Do you want to be part of EMBL’s newly created AI Hub, using AI to solve complex interdisciplinary challenges?

We’re seeking a visionary scientist to establish and lead a new AI Engineering & Automation Team at the AI Hub Heidelberg as part of EMBL AI, a major institutional initiative to embed AI across all areas of life sciences.

This role offers a unique opportunity to build AI infrastructure, services, and applications that will drive transformative research across EMBL and the global scientific community.

About us

EMBL AI is EMBL's ambitious new initiative aiming to exploit the full potential of AI-based approaches to advance scientific discovery. EMBL AI will host new AI research groups and data engineering teams, supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, along with fellowship and skills development programmes that bridge AI and life sciences. Incoming EMBL AI groups will be embedded in a world-class environment of biological researchers covering a broad range of biological areas, from molecules to ecosystems.

EMBL has already established itself as a global leader in AI-driven innovation in biology research, with successes in areas including genomics, structural biology (e.g., AlphaFold), biomarker discovery, and imaging. EMBL hosts the world’s largest repository of biological data, the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), and has excellent pan-institutional data management, data science and open science infrastructures. Our goal is to build a dynamic community of AI specialists working alongside life science researchers, together creating innovative AI-based methods to address fundamental questions in biology and drive scientific breakthroughs. Discover more on our web page and explore our current research groups.

Scientific context and strategic fit

EMBL’s long-term scientific direction, Molecules to Ecosystems, aims to advance our understanding of ecosystems at the molecular level, applying expertise in molecular biology to study life in its natural context. Research areas include applying experimental, computational and theoretical approaches to study how cells and organisms interact with each other and respond to fluctuating environments. EMBL has a track record in establishing landmark data resources in these different areas (EMBL-EBI), leads in managing digital infrastructures, and operates a dedicated Data Science Center for handling complex primary biological data types across the institute.

We are interested in hosting scientists who are keen to bring their AI expertise to EMBL, collaboratively developing AI-based solutions to scientific questions with the life science community. These research efforts should support the creation of new services to make AI-based methods accessible to scientists across EMBL. 

Your expertise might cover areas such as: machine learning foundations, generative modeling, deep learning, large language models, representation learning, Bayesian or causal inference, active or transfer learning. Proposals with a strong technology development focus are encouraged.

Incoming teams will be able to collaborate with scientists across EMBL’s scientific units, sites and cross-cutting research topics, and have access to unique biodata, biotechnologies, and a wide range of expertise in biological research. A close interaction with EMBL’s Data Science center is foreseen. 

Your role

As a Team Leader, you will:

•  Lead a team of AI engineers and scientists at EMBL AI’s Heidelberg Hub, operating AI services.

• Develop, manage, and maintain freely available AI services provided by the team, ensuring these tools remain state-of-the-art and responsive to the evolving needs of the EMBL scientific community and beyond. This may include:

  • Data architecture and infrastructures tailored for AI workflows

  • AI-driven solutions for laboratory automation

  • AI-based reasoning systems for biology

  • Training and consultancy

• Co-develop major AI projects in collaboration with scientists across EMBL’s six sites.

• Actively engage with other EMBL Group/ Team Leaders to coordinate training, mentoring, and the growth of AI expertise across the Laboratory.

• Manage efficient use of resources, to synergize with other EMBL teams and facilities, and to identify and promote collaboration and early-stage access with industrial partners, and create opportunities for new service provisions in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

You will also have the opportunity to:

• Pursue independent research interests to develop methods and technologies in AI-related areas, which, once established, can be transferred to enhance its range of service offerings.

Your profile

You have an excellent research and/or service track record in AI, a PhD in a relevant field, an interest in its applications to biology. You have a well-defined strategy for operating the service and, if conducting your own research, for integrating it with the service. Previous experience in biology is not required, but a strong interest in interdisciplinary collaboration is essential.

Experience in leading large projects or teams, with evidence of organizational and people management skills, is an advantage.

Key competencies:

• Service Excellence – you are committed to service orientation, ensuring exceptional user experiences by delivering high-quality, timely, and reliable services to internal and external users.

• Scientific Excellence– you have the potential to develop or optimise groundbreaking methods and technologies that will help shape AI research.

• Leadership and Service Team Management – you bring both strategic vision and operational excellence to the AI service team: overseeing budgets, planning resources, and ensuring day-to-day reliability. You will build and develop a diverse, high-performing team and shape the team’s service offerings. While prior leadership experience is advantageous, we equally welcome candidates demonstrating strong leadership potential and commitment to grow into this critical role.

• Original and Innovative Thinking – you embrace a mindset of creative problem-solving, with out of the box thinking to generate novel, practical solutions.

• Collaborative Mindset – you are eager to engage with a diverse community of researchers, willing to step outside of your comfort zone, and open to interdisciplinary exchange.

• Mentoring Skills – you are dedicated to nurturing and inspiring people in your team, supported by an inclusive leadership style. 

Why EMBL is an excellent environment for You as a Team Leader

As Europe’s life sciences laboratory, EMBL offers an inspiring, internationally recognized platform to launch and grow your research career. 

EMBL team leaders benefit from:

• World-Class Resources: Access to world-leading core facilities and infrastructures in molecular biology and in IT, including on-site HPC and GPU farms and multiple channels to scale-out to European supercomputing resources. 

• Core Funding: You will have generous funding to lead a mid-size service group and a small research team. 

• Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Environment: Thrive within a network of over 110 independent research groups and service teams across our six sites, covering a broad spectrum of topics in life sciences. EMBL fosters and supports creative, interdisciplinary and collaborative research.

• Creative Freedom: Enjoy the autonomy and resources to choose your direction of research.

• Well-connected Scientific Hub: Be part of EMBL Heidelberg, embedded in a thriving research environment with partnerships to world-leading institutions and cross-institutional initiatives, including the ELLIS Unit Heidelberg, the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit (MMPU), and the Heidelberg-Mannheim Health & Life-Science Alliance.

• Networking & Visibility: Engage with hundreds of world-leading scientists coming for each of the over 30 international conferences hosted annually at EMBL’s advanced training centre.

• Data: EMBL, with its European Bioinformatics Institute, has a track record in providing the world’s major data resources in biology (EMBL-EBI).

• Global Excellence: Join a top-ranked research institute promoting discovery-driven science in a collaborative and inclusive environment.

Online interviews will be conducted in June 2026

Onsite interviews are planned for July/August 2026

Contract length: 5 years, renewable to a maximum of 9 years.

Salary: Grade 9, monthly salary from EUR 6.659,04 (after tax, and before 13% EMBL social security deductions) plus other paid benefits. 

Further information on Group Leader appointments can be found here: https://www.embl.org/careers/group-leader-recruitment/

If you would like more information about the position, if procedural please contact recruitment@embl.org, if on the position please contact Oliver Stegle ai@embl.org acting Head of EMBL AI.

How to apply

Before applying, please read the application instructions here. 

You should submit an exciting research plan with original and ambitious goals for your future team (maximum 4 pages). In your online application, you will be asked to include a cover letter, your CV, the names and contact details of 2 referees and a concise description of research interests & future research plans, highlighting your unique vision (up to four pages). Letters of recommendation should be submitted by the referees by or shortly after the application deadline.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (some sites), library, cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date