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School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Position Description:

• foundation model training, evaluation, and adaptation
• agentic workflows, tool-using models, and AI systems
• bespoke scientific applications of AI/ML, including in the life sciences
• alternative architectures and systems-level approaches to modern AI

• Fellows will conduct research under the direction of a Kempner Institute investigator.
• Fellows are appointed for a one-year term; reappointment may be possible for up to three consecutive years.
• Due to the importance of in-person mentoring, this position is based on campus, full-time, at Harvard University. Remote work for this position is not possible.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, statistics, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, computational biology/neurobiology, or a related quantitative field required by the expected start date
• Strong technical background in modern AI/ML, including deep learning and hands-on experience with frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX
• Demonstrated research productivity, including publications in venues such as ICML, ICLR, NeurIPS, or similar, and/or substantial open-source research contributions
• Demonstrated experience implementing, training, evaluating, or fine-tuning modern machine learning models
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience building and maintaining research code
• Demonstrated ability to use modern AI-assisted and agentic coding tools effectively, such as Claude Code, Codex, or similar systems, in research and development workflows
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative research environment and communicate technical work clearly

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience with foundation model training, post-training, adaptation, or evaluation
• Experience with agentic workflows, tool-using models, retrieval systems, or related AI systems
• Experience with large-scale datasets, distributed training, or high-performance computing environments
• Interest in scientific applications of AI/ML, including the life sciences
• Interest in alternative architectures and systems-level approaches to AI

Contact Information:

Contact Email: KempnerInstitute@Harvard.edu

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Salary Range:

About Harvard University

Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. The University, which is based in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, has an enrollment of over 20,000 degree candidates, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Harvard has more than 360,000 alumni around the world. The University has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a truly global education. Established in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

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