The National Research Foundation (NRF) is a department within the Prime Minister's Office, and we set the national direction for research, innovation and enterprise (RIE) by developing policies, plans and strategies; funding strategic initiatives that strengthen our scientific and technological capabilities, grow our RIE talent base, and achieve economic and national impact; and fostering RIE collaboration in Singapore and internationally. Strong, sustained support for Academic Research is a cornerstone for RIE. Sustained investments in academic research have enabled Singapore to build up a foundation of research capabilities across many critical disciplinary areas.

Recognizing the rapid advancements in AI technologies and their expanding potential to revolutionize a broad spectrum of scientific domains, NRF is launching the AI For Science (AI4S) funding initiative to leverage its research strengths, cutting-edge infrastructure, and interdisciplinary expertise to accelerate fundamental discoveries. By uniting AI specialists with scientific domain experts, this initiative aims to develop AI methods and tools that not only enhance how research is conducted, but also propel Singapore’s position at the forefront of global scientific innovation.

The AI4S Programme Office will be located at the CREATE campus, co-located with research labs, to foster collaboration and co-creation.

Programme Director

Overview:
The Program Director is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic management and execution of the AI4S funding initiative. This individual will lead a dedicated programme office team of 4-6 Programme Managers and Administrative Executives, ensuring that the initiative’s goals are achieved efficiently and effectively. The Director oversees all aspects of active programme management, stakeholder engagement, financial management, and compliance, and actively shapes programme direction through collaboration with the Steering Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee, and NRF.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership – Scientific / Technical:

  • Provide strategic oversight and direction for the programme & related workstreams towards ambitious deliverables in transformative research, talent development, and research translation.

  • Drive programmatic coherence across individual projects and workstreams addressing critical and emerging problems in AI4S.

  • Make high-level decisions on programme direction and recommend strategic course-corrections to the Steering Committee.

  • Proactively identify opportunities to enhance programme impact, leveraging interdependencies and synergies across multi-disciplinary project teams and workstreams. Facilitate transfer of learnings across workstreams.
     

• Leadership -- Programme Administration & Operations:

  • Lead and develop the Programme Office team, including Programme Managers and Administrative Executives.

  • Establish and implement programme-wide policies and frameworks for collaboration, equipment sharing, IP protection, and safety/ethical standards.

  • Oversee pre-award and post-award processes at a strategic level.

  • Direct the overall lab and office operations of the programme.

  • Manage programme budget and resource allocation.
     

• Stakeholder Engagement & Outreach:

  • Build and maintain high-level relationships with stakeholders across government, academia, and industry to support the overall programme objectives.

  • Work with supporting team to organise Steering Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee meetings for project reviews.

  • Represent the programme at senior leadership meetings and strategic discussions.

  • Oversee and organize outreach activities.
     

• Strategic Planning & Innovation:

  • Track rapid AI developments in academia and industry to inform the strategic direction of the programme.

  • Recommend project portfolios and research themes that capitalize on cutting-edge AI technologies, fostering transformative breakthroughs in target science domains.

Qualifications & Experience:

• PhD or equivalent advanced degree in science, engineering, or adjacent disciplines, with strong expertise in AI-related research.

• Minimum 13 years of experience in research leadership and programme management roles.

• Proven track record of leading large-scale research initiatives and managing cross-functional teams.

• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities.

• Executive-level stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Deep understanding of the research landscape and AI developments.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.