Artificial Intelligence Engineer

About the Company

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is a renowned institution committed to advancing medical education, research, and patient care. The Office of Health Sciences Education (OHSE) within Vanderbilt University School of Medicine plays a pivotal role in fostering innovative educational strategies, leveraging technology, and promoting lifelong learning among future healthcare professionals. The institution is dedicated to excellence in training physicians and health professionals who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and judgment necessary to deliver safe, effective, and ethical care. Vanderbilt’s commitment to innovation is reflected in its adoption of cutting-edge tools, including artificial intelligence, to enhance educational outcomes and prepare learners for the evolving landscape of healthcare.

About the Role

The Applied Artificial Intelligence Engineer is a key member of the Education Design and Informatics team within Vanderbilt’s Office of Health Sciences Education. This role is instrumental in developing and deploying AI-driven features that personalize and improve medical education. As the first dedicated AI/ML specialist in the team, you will collaborate closely with data engineers, full-stack developers, and instructional designers to embed intelligent functionalities into educational platforms such as VSTAR and other tools. Your primary focus will be on creating LLM-powered tools, semantic search capabilities, personalized recommendation systems, and predictive analytics to enhance learner engagement and educational outcomes. This is a high-ownership position requiring you to shape AI strategies from conception to production, working directly with educational leadership to identify impactful opportunities. The role is fully remote, with an option for hybrid work arrangements, and reports directly to the Director of Education Design & Informatics.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop AI-powered features for educational platforms such as VSTAR, including intelligent tutoring, semantic search, and personalized content recommendations
• Implement AI strategies using architectures like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), agentic workflows, prompt engineering, and LLM orchestration tailored for educational applications
• Develop backend services and APIs to expose AI functionalities, collaborating with software developers for seamless integration
• Evaluate and select AI tools and services, balancing performance, cost, and reliability considerations
• Ensure responsible AI practices through content filtering, transparency, and adherence to ethical standards
• Build and maintain machine learning pipelines in Databricks for feature engineering, model training, and evaluation
• Deploy AI models and services into production environments, establishing monitoring, logging, and error handling protocols
• Implement MLOps best practices, including version control, testing, documentation, and reproducibility of AI features
• Own the full lifecycle management of AI features, including maintenance, updates, and decommissioning
• Contribute to predictive modeling initiatives aimed at identifying at-risk learners and optimizing educational resources
• Collaborate with data engineering teams to ensure data infrastructure supports AI development and deployment
• Partner with educational and product teams to identify high-impact AI opportunities and translate them into technical solutions
• Maintain comprehensive documentation and promote knowledge sharing within the team
• Stay current with advancements in AI tools and methodologies relevant to education and healthcare sectors

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field from an accredited institution
• 5–7 years of professional experience in AI engineering, machine learning, or related disciplines
• Minimum of 3+ years experience in applied machine learning and AI development
• Proficiency in Python programming and experience with ML frameworks such as scikit-learn, PyTorch, or TensorFlow (3+ years)
• Hands-on experience working with large language models (LLMs), including prompt engineering, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation, and agent-based systems (1+ years)
• Experience developing backend services using FastAPI, Flask, or similar frameworks, and designing RESTful APIs (1+ years)
• Proven track record of deploying AI/ML features in production environments with monitoring and maintenance (1+ years)
• Strong SQL skills and experience working with data pipelines (3+ years)
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to non-technical stakeholders (3+ years)
• Experience with Databricks, Azure cloud services, and MLOps tools such as MLflow (1+ years preferred)
• Familiarity with vector databases like Pinecone, Weaviate, or Chroma (1+ years preferred)
• Background in building predictive models for classification, regression, or forecasting tasks (1+ years preferred)
• Experience working in education, healthcare, or mission-driven sectors is a plus
• Self-motivated with a strong ownership mentality and ability to work independently

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Flexible remote work arrangements with optional hybrid setup
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Retirement plans and financial wellness programs
• Generous paid time off and holidays
• Professional development opportunities, including conferences and training
• Collaborative and innovative work environment
• Access to cutting-edge AI and educational technology resources