AI Researcher – Materials Design & Molecular Science

Do you want to develop new machine learning methods for materials and molecular science, grounded in experimental data and concrete scientific problems? RISE is expanding its research in AI for materials design and the life sciences and is hiring AI Researchers to strengthen this effort.

You will work at the intersection of machine learning, physics, and chemistry, with a focus on method development for data-driven scientific discovery. The work is closely connected to experimental research and aims to advance sustainable materials, energy systems, and molecular science.

About the role

You will conduct research in machine learning with a focus on materials science and/or molecular life-science applications. The work includes developing, adapting, and evaluating machine learning methods under physical, experimental, and data-related constraints, and applying them to simulation and measurement data. The research involves representation learning using generative or multitask models, structured latent spaces, or geometric deep learning approaches, all depending on the problem and data.

You will contribute to shape research projects with academic and industrial partners, publish scientific results, and take part in developing research proposals. The role combines independent research with close collaboration in interdisciplinary teams.

The position is placed within the Intelligent Systems unit and the Deep Learning research group, with close collaboration among machine learning researchers in the unit and domain experts in materials science, chemistry, and experimental characterization across RISE.

Who are you?

Requirements:

• A doctoral degree, in machine learning, applied mathematics, scientific computing, materials science or computational chemistry

• Proven experience in machine learning and mathematical modelling, evidenced by publications, implemented models, or documented projects available on GitHub or equivalent repositories, with the ability to translate scientific questions into well-defined computational problems

• Strong programming skills in Python and practical experience with modern machine learning frameworks PyTorch or JAX

• A documented research track record demonstrated through publications, preprints, or comparable research outputs

• A working proficiency in English

Meritorious:

• Experience applying machine learning in scientific or engineering contexts, particularly where models are closely linked to physical, chemical, or biological processes

• Familiarity with inverse problems, uncertainty quantification, or data‑efficient learning methods

• Experience with generative models, latent‑variable approaches, geometric deep learning, or multitask learning

• Experience working with experimental data - such as scattering, diffraction, spectroscopy, or microscopy - especially when data are noisy, incomplete, or heterogeneous

• Experience in scientific software development or contributions to open‑source research code

• Clear and effective communication skills in collaborative settings and in the presentation of research results

• An analytical and problem‑solving mindset, with the ability to structure and address complex scientific questions

What we offer

RISE offers a research environment in which machine learning is developed in close collaboration with scientific and industrial research. You will work alongside researchers in materials science, chemistry, physics, and engineering, with access to experimental data and established collaborations with universities, research infrastructures, and industry.

The role provides room to shape your research direction within strategically important areas for RISE and to contribute to publications, software, and research proposals at national and European levels. RISE offers stable conditions and a collaborative research culture that values rigor, openness, and long-term impact.

 Are we right for each other?

At RISE, we like different and we are convinced that diversity contributes to an innovative environment where we together challenge boundaries and develop new knowledge for the future. With us, passionate problem solvers meet to solve some of the world's most important, and perhaps fun, problems. We can not promise you an easy job, but what we can promise you is a bunch of committed colleagues and some really exciting societal and industrial challenges to tackle. You will work in a dynamic environment that gives you development opportunities both professionally and personally. With us, you get the opportunity to make a real difference. Welcome to the research institute and innovation partner for the entire of Swedish.

Welcome with Your Application!

For more information, please contact the recruiting manager Stefan Wendin, Head of unit Intelligent Systems, at stefan.wendin@ri.se. The last application date is March 17. Selection and interviews will be conducted continuously during and after the application period. Apply without cover letter.

Our union representatives are Ingemar Petermann, SACO, +46 10 228 41 22 and Linda Ikatti, Unionen, +46 10 516 51 61.