Principal Research Scientist - Frontier Industrial AI in Cambridge

AVEVA is creating software trusted by over 90% of leading industrial companies.

The role:

AVEVA’s frontier AI research team, as part of the Chief Technologist Organization, focuses on developing the next generation of industrial intelligence. We are looking for exceptional researchers who combine original thinking with the ability to turn ambitious ideas into working systems. You will define and pursue high-impact research questions, build experimental prototypes, publish influential work, and create defensible intellectual property. Research may span industrial foundation models for time-series and multimodal data, simulation and world models, trustworthy decision-support agents and staged autonomy, and AI-native approaches to industrial data foundations, ontology learning, and evaluation. This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives in uncertain problem spaces, works with high autonomy, and finds practical ways to move difficult initiatives forward.

What you will do:

• Define and lead ambitious research initiatives in frontier industrial AI.
• Develop new models, algorithms, evaluation methods, and system architectures.
• Build high-quality experimental systems and validated research prototypes.
• Publish at leading AI and machine learning venues and contribute to AVEVA’s patent and IP portfolio.
• Create benchmarks, datasets, and evaluation frameworks for industrial AI.
• Partner with leading AI labs, universities, and technology organizations.
• Take research from initial hypothesis through prototype and validation.
• Help shape AVEVA’s longer-term AI research direction and technical strategy.

What we are looking for:

• A PhD or equivalent research experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer science, applied mathematics, engineering, or a related field.
• Evidence of original research through strong publications, patents, open-source work, prototypes, or other meaningful technical contributions.
• Strong hands-on ability in AI experimentation and software development.
• Ability to independently identify important problems, formulate research hypotheses, and execute projects with limited structure.
• Deep expertise in one or more areas such as foundation models, multimodal learning, time-series modeling, generative models, reinforcement learning, agentic systems, simulation, world models, representation learning, or AI evaluation.
• Strong scientific judgment and the ability to design rigorous experiments and communicate results clearly.
• High agency, intellectual curiosity, and a constructive problem-solving mindset.
• Ability to collaborate across research, engineering, product, and teams.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience working with industrial, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, engineering, or scientific data.
• Recent publications at leading machine learning, AI, data mining, robotics, or systems venues.
• Experience developing models at scale or building complex research systems.
• Experience with simulation environments, digital twins, multimodal data, or industrial time series.
• A track record of initiating and advancing research projects with limited supervision.
• Exceptional recent PhD graduates with a strong research record are encouraged to apply.

UK Benefits include:

• Flexible benefits fund, emergency leave days, adoption leave, 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), pension, life cover, private medical insurance, parental leave, education assistance program.

Hybrid working:

We work in a hybrid way at AVEVA. Most roles are based at a local AVEVA office, with an expectation of being on-site 50% of your working hours to support collaboration and connection. Some positions are fully office-based depending on the nature of the work, and certain roles that support specific customers or markets may be remote. The working arrangement for this position will be confirmed during the hiring process.

Hiring process:

Interested? Great! Get started by submitting your cover letter and CV through our application portal. AVEVA is committed to recruiting and retaining people with disabilities. Please let us know in advance if you need reasonable support during your application process.

About AVEVA:

AVEVA is a global leader in industrial software with more than 6,500 employees in over 40 countries. Our cutting-edge solutions are used by thousands of enterprises to deliver the essentials of life – such as energy, infrastructure, chemicals, and minerals – safely, efficiently, and more sustainably. We are committed to embedding sustainability and inclusion into our operations, our culture, and our core business strategy.

AVEVA requires all successful applicants to undergo and pass a drug screening and comprehensive background check before they start employment. Background checks will be conducted in accordance with local laws and may, subject to those laws, include proof of educational attainment, employment history verification, proof of work authorization, criminal records, identity verification, credit check. Certain positions dealing with sensitive and/or third-party personal data may involve additional background check criteria.

AVEVA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to being an exemplary employer with an inclusive culture, developing a workplace environment where all our employees are treated with dignity and respect. We value diversity and the expertise that people from different backgrounds bring to our business. AVEVA provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify your recruiter. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.