AI Director
University at Albany, SUNY
The University at Albany, State University of New York (www.albany.edu), seeks a collaborative, innovative leader to serve as the founding Director of the UAlbany Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI).
The new Institute for Artificial Intelligence will be the hub for a campus-wide effort in research, translation, and industrial partnerships in the field of AI to solve problems of regional, national, and international importance. The IAI will house the $200 million AI initiative that was launched in 2022 with an initial investment of $75 million from New York State.
The University at Albany is classified by Carnegie Foundation as an R1 institution of “very high research activity,” as well as for its outstanding record of community engagement. The University is among the four SUNY Centers in the state university system. It has a broad mission to facilitate research and scholarly activities; education; and workforce training in sciences, engineering, social science, public health, humanities, and arts.
UAlbany recently launched a $200 million AI initiative, called AI Plus (www.albany.edu/ai-plus), which will significantly expand the artificial intelligence supercomputing resources available in the state of New York for teaching and research, as well as render UAlbany as one of the leading universities in AI in the nation. In addition, UAlbany is an anchor member of the $475 million EmpireAI initiative that was announced by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. University at Albany is also the first site of the nVidia’s DGX cloud in the world and is home to IBM’s first prototype AIU system. In October of 2023, IBM and UAlbany announced a new $20 million Center for Emerging AI Systems.
As part of the AI Plus initiative, the University is in the process of recruiting an unprecedented 27 new faculty members specializing in artificial intelligence, which marks the next critical phase in the University’s ambitious plan to incorporate elements of AI teaching, research, and workforce (re)training across all academic programs. Nineteen of these AI-focused faculty members have already joined the university while seven more searches are underway. The new AI cluster hires, combined with the approximately 25 existing faculty researchers engaged in the development and applications of AI research, makes UAlbany one of the nation’s top AI institutions.
All AI faculty members are already associated with the Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI). This group of more than 50 individuals – who will lead the AI Plus activities in research and education – are distributed across the nine colleges and schools of the University, thus catalyzing convergent research that simultaneously advances the fundamentals of AI while using it to address current societal challenges. The IAI Director will provide leadership to advance the University’s broad mission and deliver world-class AI solutions in areas such as computing, computational and physical sciences, neuroscience, health science, semiconductor manufacturing, renewable energy, sustainability, climate science, emergency management, and cybersecurity, as well as within the arts and humanities.
The founding IAI Director will report directly to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development. Working alongside the VPRED, the Director will develop the infrastructure and identify funding mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Institute. This leader will leverage the initial investment from the state and work with AI researchers to create interdisciplinary teams that will be competitive for federal and state grants. They will develop deep external partnerships with state and federal government entities, as well as private corporations, securing UAlbany's identity as a leading university in AI research.
The ideal candidate will have an established track record of research in artificial intelligence or machine learning. They should either possess a record of distinguished scholarship appropriate for an appointment as a tenured full professor or a proven record of leadership in private industry that shows a deep commitment to higher education and an understanding of the future of AI education and research in a university setting. The Director will be a strong collaborator and communicator, possessing the ability to develop relationships both internally and externally. They will foster a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative culture within the IAI.
All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile available at apptrkr.com/5171025.
WittKieffer is assisting UAlbany in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by June 17, 2024.
Application materials should be submitted to UAlbanyAIDirector@wittkieffer.com.
Nominations and inquiries may be directed to:
Lauren Bruce-Stets and Kim Migoya
UAlbanyAIDirector@wittkieffer.com
State University of New York System Administration is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, disability, genetic predisposition or carrier status or domestic violence victim status.
All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile available at apptrkr.com/5171025.