AI Fellow (AI4Science), AI Initiative, Global Health Programs

PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges. PATH’s AI Initiative is pioneering the use of generative AI and other advanced digital technologies to accelerate biomedical discovery, strengthen regulatory systems, and enhance the safety and scalability of digital healthcare.

The Research Fellow will be a key member of the AI4Science team, working under the supervision of the Deputy Director (AI4Science) and the Chief AI Officer to deliver research across the team’s portfolio. You will have a particular focus on a flagship programme funded by FCDO that aims to accelerate global health research through AI Co‑Scientist tools. This programme includes developing a benchmarking framework for evaluating AI Co‑Scientist tools, running real‑world demonstration projects in areas such as mental health therapeutics, antimicrobial resistance, and malaria vector control, and establishing a secretariat to support partners in adopting AI‑for‑science workflows.

This is a hands‑on role ideal for an applied researcher (post‑PhD or equivalent) who enjoys experimentation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating emerging AI capabilities into real scientific workflows. You will own specific workstreams within the AI4Science portfolio, from experimental design through execution and publication, while collaborating closely with senior technical leadership and external partners. You will develop and test AI‑assisted scientific workflows, and contribute to the growing evidence base for how AI can accelerate biomedical discovery. You will also contribute to the wider AI4Science portfolio, including work on vaccine development and other projects as they arise. This role does not necessarily require developing new foundation models, but does require strong fluency in applying, evaluating, and orchestrating modern AI systems (including LLMs and agentic workflows) specifically for scientific research.

If you’re a researcher who wants to work at the cutting edge of AI and biomedical science, with the opportunity to see your work translate into real‑world impact for underserved communities, this could be the role for you.

• Contribute to and, where appropriate, lead research activities across multiple projects within the AI4Science portfolio, including:

• Designing, building, and iterating benchmark evaluations for AI Co‑Scientist tools, covering tasks such as knowledge retrieval, reasoning, robustness, rediscovery, and adversarial testing.
• Supporting the delivery of real‑world demonstration projects (e.g., mental health therapeutics, AMR susceptibility testing, malaria vector control), including facilitating expert workshops, running AI‑assisted hypothesis generation exercises, and coordinating small‑scale lab validation studies with partners.
• Contributing to a landscape mapping exercise to catalogue and functionally test available AI Co‑Scientist tools.
• Practical coordination support to help FCDO partners articulate research questions, select appropriate AI tools, and execute guided research sprints.
• Contributing to other AI4Science projects, such as work on identifying novel correlates of protection to accelerate vaccine development using agentic AI workflows.

• Support the Deputy Director in ensuring the timely delivery of project outputs, including compliance with PATH and donor research ethics and data protection standards.
• Contribute to donor reporting and, as needed, serve as a technical point of contact for partners on specific project workstreams.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the AI initiative (including the Health and Regulatory Policy teams) and the wider organisation to advance cross‑cutting objectives.

• Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI‑for‑science landscape and proactively share insights with the team.
• Contribute to PATH’s thought leadership in AI and global health, including through conference presentations, blog posts, and other external engagement.
• As the team grows, provide informal mentorship and technical guidance to more junior colleagues or interns.

• PhD (or equivalent research experience) in a relevant subject, such as computational biology, bioinformatics, machine learning, immunology, chemistry, or a related biomedical or quantitative discipline.
• Demonstrable coding skills (Python preferred) sufficient to comfortably carry out independent AI research and prototyping, including experience working with large language models, AI/ML pipelines, or agentic workflows.
• Familiarity with, or strong interest in, one or more of the following: AI benchmarking and evaluation, natural language processing, agentic AI architectures.
• Experience in molecular design, drug discovery, and/or infectious disease biology is a significant plus.
• At least one peer‑reviewed publication (or equivalent evidence of research output).

You are motivated by research that has a real‑world impact. You’re excited by the idea of your work contributing to new treatments, better diagnostics, or more effective vector control — not just another paper.

You can design sound experiments, handle messy data, and troubleshoot when things don’t work as expected. You’re comfortable working across disciplines and picking up new methods quickly.

You can explain complex technical work clearly to non‑specialist audiences, write well, and collaborate effectively with researchers from diverse backgrounds and geographies.

The AI‑for‑science field is evolving fast, and this programme is deliberately exploratory. You thrive in environments where the path forward isn’t always clear and you’re energised (rather than daunted) by that.

You work well as part of a small, agile team embedded in a large organisation. You’re willing to support colleagues, share credit, and contribute to a positive team culture.

To be selected, you must have legal authorization to work in the UK.