Director of FBK Center for Machine Intelligence

About the role

The Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) is establishing a new Center for Machine Intelligence (MI) and seeks a visionary leader to serve as its Director. This senior position will shape the strategic direction of the center, fostering interdisciplinary research on intelligent systems that perceive, analyze, predict, and act in complex physical environments.

Key responsibilities

• Define and implement the scientific and operational strategy of the MI Center.
• Build and lead a multidisciplinary research team across perception, learning, reasoning, and distributed systems.
• Secure funding, manage budgets, and oversee collaborations with industry, academia, and public institutions.
• Promote the translation of AI research into real‑world applications in health, digital society, industry, and agriculture.
• Represent FBK in national and international AI forums and drive the center’s visibility.

Required profile

• Established researcher with a strong publication record in AI or related fields.
• Proven leadership experience managing large, interdisciplinary research groups.
• Demonstrated ability to obtain competitive research funding.
• Excellent communication skills in English; additional languages are a plus.

Required skills

• Machine Learning
• Automated Reasoning
• Natural Language Processing
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Computer Vision
• Speech Recognition
• AI Planning
• Internet of Things
• Predictive Analytics
• Distributed Systems

What we offer

• State‑of‑the‑art research facilities spanning 3,500 m².
• Access to a vibrant community of over 700 researchers and 200 doctoral students.
• Opportunities to lead high‑impact AI projects with societal relevance.