Lead Applied Scientist

Inception, a G42 company, is the region’s leading innovator of AI-powered domain-specific as well as industry-agnostic products, built on a rich heritage of research and development. Within the G42 ecosystem, Inception functions as the core intelligence layer – transforming data and compute infrastructure into real-world, applied AI solutions. Beyond its commercial endeavors, Inception is committed to creating positive societal impact. For more information, please visit www.inceptionai.ai

Overview:

Lead Applied Scientist, Inception, Abu Dhabi

Inception is seeking an exceptional and visionary Lead Applied Scientist to spearhead advanced AI research and guide teams in developing transformative deep-learning and generative AI solutions. This leadership role calls for a seasoned expert with a strong technical foundation and proven ability to translate cutting-edge research into scalable, high-impact applications. As a Lead Applied Scientist, you will architect next-generation AI systems, drive innovation pipelines, and mentor a team of scientists and engineers to deliver breakthroughs aligned with Inception’s mission.

The opportunity

Inception is the UAE’s national-scale enabler in AI Research and Development. Partnering with Microsoft's AI SaaS, we offer domain-specific Agentic AI Orchestrator platform utilizing reasoning agents for precise and cost-effective services. Our focus includes AI incubation, IP creation, applied AI R&D, and AI investment products. By creating models tailored to specific domains and languages, we ensure superior accuracy and efficiency. Collaborating with top universities and industry giants to drive significant advancements in AI technology within the region.

Responsibilities:

As a Lead Applied Scientist, you will play a pivotal role in shaping Inception’s research strategy and leading teams to deliver state-of-the-art AI systems. Your focus will be on innovation leadership, strategic execution, and advancing foundational AI capabilities across multimodal domains.

Strategic Research Leadership: Define and drive Inception’s applied AI research roadmap, identifying emerging technologies and methodologies that strengthen the company’s position as a regional AI leader.

Model Innovation & System Design: Architect and oversee the development of next-generation generative and deep-learning models that integrate multiple modalities (vision, language, audio, and sensor data).

Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, mentor, and inspire a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to achieve ambitious R&D milestones and foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and excellence.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, engineering, and business teams to translate research into deployable AI systems and enterprise-grade products.

Scalable Deployment: Ensure model scalability, reliability, and efficiency through rigorous experimentation, model optimization, and operational excellence.

Innovation Advocacy: Represent Inception in external forums, research partnerships, and conferences, advancing thought leadership and collaborative engagements with universities and industry partners.

Impact Measurement: Evaluate project success through measurable outcomes such as innovation impact, deployment efficiency, IP generation, and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications:

Skills and attributes for success

Success in this role will be measured by the number and impact of innovations deployed, research-to-product conversion rate, efficiency improvements realized, and recognition through patents, publications, and partnerships.

To qualify, you must have:

• Ph.D. or M.Sc. in Computer Science, Engineering, or AI-related discipline, with specialization in Machine Learning, Computer Vision, NLP, or Multimodal AI.
• Minimum 10–12 years of experience in AI research and product development, with at least 3 years leading R&D teams or major AI projects.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and deploying large-scale AI models and systems.
• Proven record of research contributions—publications, patents, or industry innovation initiatives.Ideally, you’ll also need:

• Deep understanding of emerging AI paradigms including foundation models, generative architectures, and reasoning systems.
• Strong strategic thinking, project management, and leadership skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience in AI commercialization, from research conceptualization to production deployment.What we look for

If you are a performance-driven, inquisitive mind with the agility to adapt to ambiguity, you will fit right in. You should be eager to explore opportunities to build meaningful collaborations with stakeholders and aspire to create unique customer-centric solutions. Bias for action and a passion to conquer new frontiers in the AI space is at the heart of the Inception community.

What working at Inception offers

Culture: An open, diverse and inclusive environment with a global vision that encourages personal growth and focuses on ground-breaking, industry-first innovations.

Career: Outstanding learning, development & growth opportunities via structured training programs and innovative, high-tech projects.

Work-Life: A hybrid work policy to strike the perfect balance between office and home.

Rewards: A competitive remuneration package with a host of perks including healthcare, education support, leave benefits and more.

If you can confidently demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.

What We Look ForIf you are a performance-driven, inquisitive mind with the agility to adapt to ambiguity, you will fit right in. You should be eager to explore opportunities to build meaningful collaborations with stakeholders and aspire to create unique customer-centric solutions. Bias for action and a passion to conquer new frontiers in the AI space is at the heart of the Inception community.What Working At Inception OffersCulture: An open, diverse and inclusive environment with a global vision that encourages personal growth and focuses on ground-breaking, industry-first innovations.Career: Outstanding learning, development & growth opportunities via structured training programs and innovative, high-tech projects.Rewards: A competitive remuneration package with a host of perks including healthcare, education support, leave benefits and more.If you can confidently demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.