Energy Systems & AI Research Lead: Integrating Energy Science, AI, and Global Research

Your Mission

As the Energy Systems & AI Research Lead for NEST at Open Earth Foundation, you will serve as the programme's scientific integrator and the primary energy-systems expert within the Open Earth team. You will connect research across institutions, disciplines, and model scales, translating between energy modellers, AI researchers, inference scientists, and policy experts so the consortium delivers rigorous, coherent, and decision-relevant outcomes.

About the Programme

NEST (Nested Energy System Transitions) is a three-year research programme funded by Schmidt Sciences through the Decarbonization and Energy Virtual Institute (DEVI) initiative. The programme is developing AI-agent architectures that connect existing energy models across nested spatial, temporal, and organizational scales, from buildings and cities to national systems, and from near-term operations to multi-decadal planning. The goal is to produce coherent energy-transition pathways by advancing both the intelligent systems and agentic research processes needed for cross-scale reasoning and model coupling.

The programme brings together Open Earth Foundation, IIASA, Central European University, Imperial College London, and the Active Inference Institute, with a technical team spanning energy modelling, AI research, Bayesian inference, and policy analysis.

Essential Functions and Specific Duties

• Lead scientific integration: Ensure national, urban, building-stock, and system-dynamics models cohere into one scientifically sound, multi-scale framework.
• Own the energy methodology: Set the scientific framing for cross-scale coupling and advance methods that connect energy systems across spatial and temporal scales.
• Coordinate the consortium: Align OEF, IIASA, CEU, Imperial College London, and the Active Inference Institute around shared scientific goals, methods, milestones, and deliverables.
• Translate across disciplines: Connect energy modellers, AI researchers, Bayesian-inference scientists, and policy experts so the science works end to end.
• Guide research and validation: Lead research planning, boundary-variable alignment, validation against published benchmarks and real-world data, and the development of publications.
• Keep the programme moving: Maintain the research roadmap, track dependencies and deliverables, follow up on decisions, and surface risks early across four distributed workstreams.
• Run scientific collaboration: Organize consortium meetings, workshops, reviews, and milestone discussions, including engagement with Schmidt Sciences.
• Connect research to practice: Support pilot engagement and scientific validation with city and climate networks such as C40, ICLEI, and SCAC.
• Actively participate in team building and culture-development activities at Open Earth Foundation.
• Contribute to an open, collaborative research culture grounded in rigor, curiosity, and shared purpose.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in energy systems, energy engineering, or a closely related field, with recognized expertise in energy-systems research.
• Deep expertise across national, urban, and system-dynamics scales; postdoctoral research experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience integrating or leading multi-institutional, interdisciplinary research.
• A record of scientific coordination: translating between disciplines and aligning collaborators toward shared results.
• Fluency with AI-native productivity and coordination tools.
• Comfort in a technical, AI-driven environment—you need not write production code, but you should follow modelling and engineering discussions and engage meaningfully with the codebase.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.

Strong Preference

• AI/ML research programmes or deep-tech research and development
• Academic–industry collaboration dynamics
• International research partnerships spanning Europe and the Americas
• Grant-funded research programmes, scientific reporting, and milestone reviews

Nice to Have

• The IPCC, UNFCCC, or urban climate-action networks such as C40 and ICLEI
• Energy-modelling tools such as MESSAGEix, building-stock models, or similar frameworks
• Research-adapted Agile/Scrum and open-source collaboration practices

Interpersonal Skills

• Ability to build trust and alignment across institutions, disciplines, cultures, and time zones
• Ability to turn complex scientific conversations into clear decisions, ownership, and next steps
• Confident facilitation of meetings, workshops, reviews, and stakeholder discussions

Other Qualities

• Dedication to fighting climate change
• Scientific rigor paired with pragmatic programme leadership
• Focus on collaboration, impact, and shared outcomes
• Interest in nonprofit, mission-driven work

Compensation and Benefits

• This full-time position offers compensation of $75,000–$115,000/year (USD), commensurate with experience and location and paid in USD.
• Scientific leadership of a high-profile international programme at the frontier of AI and climate science.
• Unlimited paid time off, paid holidays, and paid sick leave.
• Remote work in a dynamic, international, mission-driven environment

This position is fully remote and international, full-time, and grant-funded for a three-year term with the possibility of renewal. Regular overlap with Central European and U.S. Pacific working hours required. Opportunities to participate in occasional in-person team gatherings. Priority will be given to applications submitted by August 14th.

The following requirements describe our ideal candidate. If you don't meet some of the requirements, you're encouraged to apply anyway. Let us know if there is something missing and how we can work together to make it up.