IBM Careers: Senior Research Scientist – AI Leadership

Location: Global / Remote-Friendly (Aligned with IBM Research Hubs) Experience: 12+ Years of Sustained Research Leadership Key Requirement: 20+ CORE A* Publications

About IBM: Work is a Calling

At IBM, work is more than a job—it’s a calling. We don’t just build, design, and code; we invent, collaborate, and make markets. We are a global team of creators—technologists, developers, and engineers—dedicated to making the world work better. Our mission is to help every creator turn their “what if” into “what is.” Join us to lead in this new era of technology and solve the world’s most challenging problems. Let’s create something that will change everything.

The Role: Senior Research Scientist (AI Incubator)

IBM is seeking an experienced and visionary Senior Research Scientist to lead the next generation of AI innovation. This is not a standard research role; it is a high-level leadership position designed to incubate new and foundational AI projects. Your work will be at the intersection of breakthrough science and business strategy. You will be responsible for building projects that drive significant business impact while maintaining IBM’s external eminence in the global AI community.

Key Responsibilities & Impact

• AI Incubation: Lead and nurture foundational AI projects from ideation to large-scale implementation.

• Strategic Alignment: Ensure all research initiatives are strongly aligned with IBM’s AI business goals and long-term strategy.

• External Eminence: Represent IBM at the highest levels of the global scientific community, maintaining a bridge between academic excellence and industry application.

• Collaborative Innovation: Work alongside partners, competitors, and clients to invent new markets and technological paradigms.

• Foundational Research: Drive advancements in AI that don’t just improve existing systems but attempt things previously thought impossible.

Required Technical & Professional Expertise

To be successful in this role, you must demonstrate a rare blend of scientific rigour and strategic leadership:

• Experience: A minimum of 12+ years of sustained, high-level leadership in AI research.

• Publication Record: A substantial and influential body of work, including 20+ publications in top-tier CORE A* international conferences and journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, AAAI, CVPR, JMLR).

• Proven Leadership: Experience leading diverse teams of researchers and engineers to deliver impactful AI solutions.

• Visionary Thinking: Ability to identify “white space” in the AI landscape and build foundational projects that secure IBM’s competitive edge.

Why IBM Research?

Joining IBM Research means joining a legacy of Nobel Prize winners, Turing Award recipients, and the minds behind Watson and Deep Blue. We provide the infrastructure, the data, and the global reach to ensure your research doesn’t stay in a lab—it changes how the world functions.

Apply Now & Lead the Future

Are you ready to turn your “what if” into “what is”? Explore the full details of this prestigious role and start your application today.

👉 View Full Job Description & Apply Here