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Helmholtz Zentrum München

Helmholtz Zentrum München
Vollzeit, Teilzeit
Neuherberg
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Principal Investigators (f/m/x) for (i) AI in Biomedicine and (ii) AI Foundations

102862

Full time
39 hrs./week

Neuherberg near Munich

Partial Home Office possible

At Helmholtz Munich, we develop groundbreaking solutions for a healthier society in a rapidly changing world. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation. Through strong partnerships, we accelerate the transfer of new ideas from the lab to real-life applications, improving lives.

Helmholtz Munich is a leading European hub for AI in Health. By designing, developing and applying innovative AI models, we drive biomedical discovery to lay the foundation for technologies that transform medicine. Working hand in hand with experimental and clinical partners, we accelerate translation so that our research reaches society and improves people’s lives.

Join us at Helmholtz Munich’s Computational Health Center and make a difference as a

Principal Investigator (f/m/x) for (i) AI in Biomedicine or (ii) AI Foundations

We are looking for two outstanding researchers with a strong track record of advancing the state of the art in machine learning and potentially its application to biology and biomedicine, with the ambition to build an internationally visible research group. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape a long-term research agenda, mentor junior researchers, and collaborate across disciplinary boundaries.

You will benefit from being part of the Helmholtz Association - Europe’s largest Research Organisation - with its unique Helmholtz AI platform.

Your role

Possible research directions include (but are not limited to)

For AI in Biomedicine:

  • Representation learning for complex biomedical data
  • Large language models for patient records and multi-omics
  • Generative AI for therapeutic and molecular design
  • Fair, robust and trustworthy AI for clinical applications

For AI foundations:

  • Explainable, interpretable and causal machine learning
  • Reinforcement learning, planning and sequential decision-making
  • Scaling, compression, and efficient training of multimodal and foundation models
  • Self-supervised, contrastive, continual, curriculum, and lifelong learning
  • Agentic foundation models, tool use, self-improving or self-updating AI models

Your profile

  • Excellent PhD and/or postdoctoral record with outstanding scientific achievements, international research experience, and publications in relevant journals and/or in top-tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, TMLR)
  • Background in machine learning and AI, computer science or related fields
  • Demonstrated commitment to high-impact, translational research focused on addressing unmet clinical needs or improving public health outcomes
  • Experience in interactive collaboration across technical, clinical, and/or industry domains
  • A visionary and implementable research agenda that advances or leverages cutting-edge AI/ML to solve critical problems
  • Commitment to establishing and developing your own research group with a clear scientific profile
  • Exceptional communication, organizational, mentorship and leadership skills

Our offer

  • An exceptional opportunity for scientific independence and to establish yourself at the forefront of applied AI using singular biomedical datasets
  • A generous start-up package (salary, positions, and running costs) equivalent to the scope and duration of an ERC Starting Grant
  • A five-year PI position with the possibility of tenure-track
  • A vibrant, international, highly collaborative, and interdisciplinary research environment in Munich - one of the world’s most liveable cities
  • Integration into Helmholtz Munich’s Computational Health Center and Helmholtz AI, as well as Munich’s thriving digital health ecosystem, supported by the Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML), ELLIS Munich (with the opportunity to join the ELLIS Society), and the M1 Munich Medicine Alliance, the university hospitals of TUM and LMU, and the German Centers for Health Research

If you fulfill all the requirements, you may be eligible for a salary grade of up to E 15. Social benefits are based on the Collective Wage Agreement for Public-Sector Employees (TVöD).

Managing Director Mike Frieser: „We believe that diversity is the key to groundbreaking research and innovative solutions. Our flexible working models and remote options create a supportive environment for balancing work and family life. For us, contributing to a healthier society in such an inspiring workplace is truly meaningful.“

Benefits

  • Grow as a leader: Personalized and diverse development programs
  • Scientific Resources: State-of-the-art infrastruture and Core Facilities
  • Recreation: 30 days annual leave, flexi days, plus public holidays
  • International Staff Service: Support with the relocation and integration process in Germany
  • Family Support: On-site kindergarten, holiday care, care for the elderly
  • Health Promotion: Sports, company doctor, mental health initiatives

Interested in applying?

For scientific questions regarding the positions, please contact Prof. Carsten Marr, Director of the Institute of AI for Health at CHC (carsten.marr@helmholtz-munich.de). For operational or administrative questions, please contact Anna Sacher, CHC Director of Operations (anna.sacher@helmholtz-munich.de), who will be happy to help.

Our recruiting is decentralized - your application will be reviewed directly by the specialist department in which you could work in the future.

Please send your application only via our online application tool and with the following documents as a single PDF:

  • CV
  • Cover letter
  • your future research plan (3 pages max.)
  • List of publications (please highlight up to three with a brief explanation of their impact)
  • Contact details for at least three referees
  • List of publications (please highlight up to three with a brief explanation of their impact)
  • Contact details for at least three referees

11 January, 2026

Invitations to the Recruiting Symposium on 9 February 2026 will be sent out on 23 January 2026. If you have obtained a university degree abroad, we will require further documents from you regarding the comparability of your degree.

We are committed to promoting a culture of diversity and welcome applications from talented people regardless of gender, cultural background, nationality, ethnicity, sexual identity, physical abilities, religion or age. Qualified applicants with physical disabilities will be given preference.

Regarding these positions, we specifically welcome applications from female scientists. Helmholtz Munich is a certified equal opportunity employer with a family-friendly research environment, flexible hours and remote working options, dual-career opportunities and a child-care facility on campus.

Our commitment

Helmholtz Munich
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
AI for Health
Ingolstädter Landstraße 1
85764 Neuherberg