Scheduled Hours

40

Position Summary

Why Lead Technology at C-brAIn?
This is a defining opportunity to lead the technical vision of a mission-driven initiative with the potential to transform biomedical research. As CTO, you will shape the future of AI in science, collaborate with world-class partners, and help accelerate discoveries that improve lives around the globe. As the Consortium enters a critical phase of growth and execution, we seek a Chief Technology Officer to lead its strategic direction, operational delivery, and stakeholder engagement.

About C-brAIN:
The Consortium for Biomedical Research and Artificial Intelligence in Neurodegeneration (C-brAIn) is a pioneering initiative at the intersection of biomedical science and artificial intelligence. Anchored by Washington University in St. Louis and supported by leading institutions across academia, industry, and philanthropy, C-brAIn is advancing a transformative vision: to accelerate breakthroughs in neuroscience, brain aging, and neurodegenerative disease through the development of an AI-powered, scientist-in-the loop research platform. This is a well-resourced, high-impact effort with the potential to transform the field.

Role Summary:
The CTO will serve as the technical architect and innovation leader of C-brAIn, responsible for designing and delivering scalable AI solutions that support the full biomedical research lifecycle. This role will guide the development of three initial Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) focused on Alzheimerâ™s disease and related disorders, and oversee their integration into a unified, end-to-end research platform. The CTO will build and lead a high performing technical team, define the Consortiumâ™s AI architecture and roadmap, and ensure alignment with scientific, ethical, and organizational goals.

Job Description

Strategic Planning

• Develop and implement the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for delivering C-brAInâ™s intended product types (e.g., agentic assistants, knowledge discovery platforms).
• Lead phased development strategies, ensuring progress from Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) to a full featured biomedical research scientist product offering that supports the full biomedical research lifecycle.
• Establish actionable metrics to track progress and impact, such as funding acquired, publications generated, and successful pilots in real-world neuroscience discovery workflows.

Technology Leadership

• Build, scale, and optimize the application of advanced AI/ML solutions, including:
  • Large Language Models (LLMs) for analyzing scientific literature.
  • Semi-autonomous Agentic AI assistants.
  • Knowledge Graphs for mapping biological relationships.
  • Multimodal Data Integration for synthesizing diverse biomedical datasets (e.g., -omics, imaging, clinical, and digital biomarkers).
  • Explainable AI (XAI) for transparent and accountable decision-making.
  • Causal Inference, Counterfactual Reasoning, and Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback for dynamic AI-human collaboration.
• Oversee the integration of these technologies into a full featured AI product that enhances scientific workflows, including hypothesis generation, experimental design, and interpretation of results.

Product Development and Deployment

• Drive the creation and delivery of MVPs that demonstrate the feasibility and value of AI tools in biomedical research.
• Oversee the scaling and deployment of products to address neurodegeneration research challenges while expanding to broader biomedical applications.
• Establish software development processes, quality assurance protocols, and performance benchmarks.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and data protection standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR).
• Track and report on tool performance metrics, usability benchmarks, and system reliability.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with the Executive Director and Steering Committee to align technical goals with organizational strategy; align multiple strategies and ideas across technical and scientific domains.
• Build and nurture partnerships across academia, industry, and philanthropy, fostering collaboration to achieve shared goals.
• Represent C-brAIn at external meetings, conferences, and events, serving as an ambassador for its mission and vision.
• Engage with scientific experts to ensure the product remains relevant to real-world biomedical challenges and supports a âœscientist-in-the-loop❠approach.

Team Leadership and Management

• Recruit, mentor, and manage a high-performing, multidisciplinary team of researchers, AI engineers, software developers, and data scientists, cultivating a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive environment.
• Provide technical leadership across cross-functional teams including product, data, and operations.
• Provide mentorship and support for team membersâ™ professional growth and alignment with C-brAInâ™s mission and values.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and trends in AI, biomedical informatics, and data engineering.
• Evaluate and integrate new tools, frameworks, and methodologies to enhance platform capabilities.
• Champion federated learning, privacy-preserving architectures, explainable AI, and ethical design principles.

Budget and Resource Management

• Define and manage $10-$100M budgets, timelines, and resource allocation.
• Collaborate with finance and administrative teams to manage budgets, forecast resource needs, and ensure compliance with institutional and funding policies.
• Identify opportunities to leverage funding and resources across partnerships for greater impact and efficiency.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment
• Flexible, with a preference for proximity to key research and industry partners.
• Hybrid, with a mix of remote work, on-site collaboration, and travel to conferences and partner institutions.

Physical Effort

• Typically working at desk or table
• Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement
• Ability to move to on and off-campus locations

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Progressively Responsible Leadership And Implementation Of Information Technology And/Or Operational Efficiencies (5 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

For more information, see https://c-brain.org.

Required Qualifications:

• Expertise in AI/ML applied to biomedical research, life sciences, data science, or biomedical informatics.

• Experience developing and deploying AI/ML-based products at scale in research-intensive environments.

• Proven track record of building and scaling AI products in startup or consortium environments.

• Demonstrated ability to build collaborations across academia, industry, and philanthropy.

• Experience with MLOps (LLMOps), deployment tooling, and model monitoring.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing AI systems for the advancement of biomedicine or biotechnology use cases.

• Familiarity with onboarding, harmonizing, and managing proprietary data and ensuring privacy-preserving AI practices, such as federated learning.

• Experience with biomedical data and privacy-compliant systems (HIPAA, GDPR).

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree, Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

AI Architecture, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Biomedical Informatics, Biomedical Research, Data Integration, Effective Written Communication, Entrepreneurial Thinking, Experimental Research Methods, Explainable AI, Global Strategic Planning, Graph Neural Network (GNN), Hypothesis Generation, Inclusive Practices, Integration Services, Interpersonal Communication, Knowledge Graph, Large Language Models (LLMs), Leadership, Multimodal Analysis, Organizational Efficiency, Project Management Leadership, Reinforcement Learning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Stakeholder Alignment, Strategic Planning

Grade

G00

Salary Range

Base pay is commensurate with experience.

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email CandidateQuestions@wustl.edu or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.

• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.

• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.

• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? Weâ™ve got you covered.

• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the Universityâ™s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

Washington University is dedicated to building a community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment â“ fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.

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