Position Description

The SustAInLivWork Centre of Excellence is inviting applications for the position of Project Expert performing as Head of the AI Research HUB. This HUB plays a central scientific role within the CoE by coordinating AI-driven research activities across four Research Groups (Healthy Living, Transport, Green Energy, Innovative Manufacturing Technologies). The HUB ensures excellence in AI research, leads methodological development, supports innovation in responsible/ethical AI, and fosters multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration.

Reports to: Director of the CoE.

Type of Contract: Project-based contract until 31 August 2029, full-time employment (40 hours/week).

Remuneration package: 34 EUR per hour. Gross income (in Lithuanian, BRUTO) is the amount of salary or wages paid to an individual by an employer before any deductions are taken.

Location: SustAInLivWork Centre of Excellence (CoE) (Artificial Intelligence Excellence Centre at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)), Kaunas, Lithuania.

The role requires on-site presence at KTU, with with the possibility of partial remote work.

Application Start Date: 05 December 2025.

Main duties and responsibilities

Project Expert acting as the Head of the AI Research HUB will:

• Provide scientific leadership across the four Research Groups (RGs) working in Healthy Living, Transport, Green Energy, and Innovative Manufacturing Technologies.

• Coordinate AI research activities, ensuring scientific quality, coherence, and alignment with the CoE’s mission on sustainability and trustworthy AI.

• Guide the development of advanced AI methodologies, including machine learning, deep learning, TinyML, federated learning, explainable AI (XAI), digital twins, and other emerging techniques relevant to the RGs.

• Support interdisciplinary research projects by connecting domain experts with AI specialists and ensuring effective technical integration.

• Facilitate the co-creation of AI solutions with industry partners, public-sector stakeholders, and international collaborators.

• Oversee ethical, responsible, and trustworthy AI practices, ensuring alignment with the EU AI Act, GDPR, FAIR data principles, and KTU’s ethical standards.

• Strengthen scientific output, including publications, datasets, open-source tools, demonstrators, and high-quality R&I proposals.

• Monitor AI research performance, KPIs, research milestones, and indicators across RGs.

• Advise the Director on scientific trends, new research directions, emerging technologies, and strategic partnerships in AI.

• Prepare and provide the Director with scientific input for annual reports, strategic documents, research plans, and future CoE development priorities.

• Act in accordance with the Centre's internal rules, perform the duties defined in the official CoE documents, and comply with the applicable regulations and procedures of KTU.

Requirement for the Candidate

Applicants should meet the following requirements:

• Impeccable professional reputation and high ethical standards, particularly in scientific research and responsible AI development.

• Hold at least a Master’s degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, engineering, or a closely related field; a PhD in AI, ML, Data Science, or a relevant domain is considered a strong advantage.

• At least 5 years of experience in leading or coordinating AI research, preferably in academic, industrial, or international R&I settings.

• Demonstrated expertise in AI/ML technologies, such as deep learning and neural networks, machine learning and statistical modelling, federated and distributed learning, explainable and trustworthy AI, data engineering, multimodal data processing, computer vision, NLP, or digital twinning.

• Experience with AI applications in health, transport, energy, or manufacturing is an advantage.

• Strong understanding of responsible AI, including the EU AI Act, ethical AI frameworks, data protection principles, and risk management practices in AI systems.

• Experience in leading or contributing to R&I projects, including Horizon Europe, EIC, Digital Europe, or national AI research programmes.

• Proven track record of scientific outputs, such as peer-reviewed publications, open-source contributions, datasets, or prototype development.

• Strong coordination and team leadership abilities, including the capacity to guide multidisciplinary research teams and manage complex scientific workflows.

• Up-to-date knowledge of global and European AI training ecosystems, with the ability to identify and recommend relevant trainings.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate with researchers, industry partners, policymakers, and international organisations.

• Language proficiency: Lithuanian (C1) and English (C1).

Benefits

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

• Flexible working hours.

• Social guarantees (vacation, sick leave, and parental leave) and additional social benefits.

• Access to state-of-the-art research facilities and resources.

• Opportunities for networking and collaboration with leading experts in AI and sustainability.

• Additional motivational incentives in accordance with the University's applicable remuneration policy.

Method of Applications’ Submission and Closing Date for Applications

• Please submit all the required documents via KTU Career website https://karjera.ktu.edu/en-GB or by email cv@ktu.lt.

• Applications must be submitted by 19 December 2025 (inclusive).

• The contact person who will provide information about the application procedure Organisation Development Specialist Agnė Karabanovaitė, e-mail cv@ktu.lt.

The list of documents that each Applicant must submit:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) clearly outlining how the applicant meets the position requirements.

• Copy of diploma(s) certifying higher education.

• Copy of PhD diploma (if applicable).

• Any other supporting documents the applicant considers relevant.

Equal Opportunity Statement: The Employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.