Research Team Leader, AI applications of material science
Are you interested in the latest AI and ML and looking for a new job opportunity in the field? Do you want to build an excellent science career and work at the interface of the academy and industry? VTT might be just the place for you.
VTT is one of the leading applied research organisations in Europe. What unites us are curiosity, a passion for learning, and a purpose: to solve the biggest challenges of our time and turn them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our cross-disciplinary community of over 2000 brilliant minds focuses on creating impact through science-based innovation. In recent years, we have created ground-breaking innovations such as the world's fastest and most accurate radiation detector, a cancer-sniffing sensor device for smartphones, and a headphone set entirely made of microbial materials. Get to know us further by exploring VTT's tech & infra.
We are now looking for a visionary Research Team Leader to empower our AI team focused on material science to create global impact
In this position you have the opportunity to think big and impact the future of European digital transformation and the future research agenda, ensuring an efficient supply of critical materials. You have an essential role in leading the research of applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to material research problems. The material application areas range from metals to battery materials, and from biopolymers to semiconductor materials. Our team thrives on collaboration, working seamlessly with many other teams across VTT and beyond to achieve shared goals.
“It has been an incredible privilege to grow and develop the ProperTune AI -team over the past 5 years. Together, we have grown into a strong and dynamic team, ready to take materials research to the next level with new computational and data-driven methods. With a strong foundation and exciting prospects on the horizon, I think this is a unique opportunity for anyone to join the team as a Research Team Leader."
-This is a replacement recruitment for Marko Mäkipää who will be starting as Vice President, Cognitive Production Industry at VTT-
VTT ProperTune® is a unique, Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) based methodology to solve complex material problems and to invent totally new materials with unprecedented properties. VTT ProperTune® combined with tailored experimental capabilities and powered by data and AI methodology, form together Materials Acceleration Platform (MAP) concept utilized at VTT. Combining high-quality data with advanced data analytics and the use of AI is the booster for research productivity and new research services for VTT’s customers.In addition to applying AI methods for materials research, we work on High Performance Computing utilizing fastest supercomputer in Europe, the LUMI, and VTT’s own quantum computers. Our objective is to accelerate new material development with data driven and computationally fast solutions and that way to support the development of new materials needed in green transition and enabling development of new material applications.
Read more about our VTT ProperTune® concept: https://www.vttresearch.com/en/ourservices/computational-material-design-vtt-propertune
Your responsibilities as Research Team Leader:
Visionary leadership of the team. You will be the spokesperson for the research topic and take an active role in promoting its visibility. You will have the responsibility for developing an ambitious and visionary agenda for research excellence and impact.
Leading research in the team and working as one of the key contributors of the area and participating in relevant research projects and customer projects.
As member of the research area leadership team, you find ways to combine competences and build collaboration to ensure wider impact.
This is a line manager role, so you are responsible for coaching the team and team members’ performance. Employee wellbeing, recruitment and team’s competence development are your key priority.
Who we are looking for:
Experienced AI expert with expertise in some of the following; machine learning, large language models, surrogate modelling, data analytics or data management
It’s beneficial if you have experience with materials and their modelling, also HPC and quantum knowhow is a plus
Masters or doctoral degree in computer science, data science or mathematics, or a closely related field
People leadership experience in line manager position or as project manager in large concortium projects
You have experience on different funding instruments such as Horizon Europe and Business Finland.
You are proficient in English language.
Interest and eligibility to participate in defence sector research and collaborate with NATO and Finnish Defence Forces.
As a person, we hope that you are:
Science and technology leader with visionary view of your substance area. With your high ambition level and goal-oriented mindset, you ensure the high quality as well as high impact of the research work for customers and the society.
As a leader, you want to create positive drive and get people excited by coaching and setting ambitious targets together with the team. You are a motivating people leader with the ability to recruit, retain and develop people.
You are customer centered with passion for solving customers’ challenges
With VTT, you’ll enjoy:
Visionary work in technology. We offer positions at the cutting-edge of technology and engineering, from next-generation microelectronics and quantum technology to automation and robotics, energy systems, and more. Our research agenda is dedicated to creating sustainable growth by solving systemic and technological challenges, so your work will go towards creating a real, positive impact. Read more about our strategy – the path of exponential hope.
Fascinating projects, excellent research environment. Our researchers get to work on a combination of cutting-edge academic research and applied customer projects locally and internationally. At VTT, you'll have state-of-the-art research facilities, such as Micronova, the Finnish research infrastructure for micro-, nano-, and quantum technologies.
Great career opportunities, superb colleagues. At VTT, excellence in research is a strategic priority. We offer long-term positions and stable career paths in top-level research. People tend to stay with us for over ten years since there are always new roles and responsibilities to grow into. Collaborating in a cross-disciplinary community with superb colleagues is a source of learning, inspiration, and fun. Read more about our organisational culture as the builder of the world's most meaningful place to work.
Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture excellent team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work-life balance. On top of 6 weeks of paid holidays annually (after one year of work), we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and voluntary well-being services such as meditation and cognitive ergonomics training.
Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!
Please send your CV with your salary request and answer the short screening question instead of writing a cover letter via our recruitment system as soon as possible but at the latest by 17th of August 2025. We will use the screening question answers to do our initial screening for this position. We will start processing applications during August after the hiring team has returned back from a well deserved summer holiday.
Interested and want to hear more?
For further information, please contact Vice President Tarja Laitinen tarja.laitinen@vtt.fi +358207226482 on Tuesday 5.8.25 11:00-12:00 or Tuesday 12.8.25 11:00-12:00.
We look forward to hearing from you!
VTT
VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner. We drive sustainable growth and tackle the biggest global challenges of our time and turn them into growth opportunities. We go beyond the obvious to help the society and companies to grow through technological innovations. We have 80 years of experience of top-level research and science-based results. VTT is at the sweet spot where innovation and business come together.
VTT – beyond the obvious.
Please see our other open positions and read more about us from our career pages.
