Postdoctoral Fellow in AI Agents for Science

European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Job Location:

Rome - Italy

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 2 days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Your group

Fabio Petronis lab - EMBL Rome.

Our mission is to build AI systems that act as cognitive members of a scientific laboratory. We design and evaluate agentic AI systems that collaborate with researchers across the full discovery cycle: literature analysis hypothesis generation experimental design equipment orchestration and data interpretation.

Research and engineering are deeply integrated in the lab: ideas are built into systems and systems enable new scientific insights.

You will have access to cutting-edge computing infrastructure and the opportunity to develop and self-host state-of-the-art language models and agents. The group works in close collaboration with wet-lab scientists and has early access to experimental data advanced instrumentation and deep domain expertise enabling novel lab-in-the-loop research.

The lab is embedded within EMBLs broader AI strategy and collaborates with leading academic and industrial partners. Candidates will be able to pursue both foundational AI research and real-world deployment in experimental scientific settings.

Your role

Design and build agentic AI systems for life-science discovery
Evaluate and benchmark models in real laboratory workflows
Work at the interface between AI systems and experimental biology
Publish high-impact research papers

You have

A PhD in computer science artificial intelligence computer engineering AI for Science or a related field
A strong publication record
Experience with LLMs and agentic systems
A strong systems background including shell and distributed systems
Experience with modern infrastructure such as Docker Kubernetes CI/CD and GPUs
Motivation to build systems that interact with real scientific environments
Fluency in English

A background in biology is not required.

Contract length:

2 years with possibility of extension.

Salary:

Year 1 Stipend at rate of 3.22838 per month after tax but excluding pension and insurance contributions.

Professional development support

The EMBL Fellows Career Service provides support and guidance to predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows across all six EMBLs sites.

Working with a dedicated Careers Advisor this invaluable service will help you to take informed decisions about your career planning both in the short and longer term. Whether your main interest is pursuing a career path in academia exploring opportunities in industry or exploring an independent venture the EMBL Fellows Career Service with provide you with a portfolio of activities and resources to help you.

To find out more please visit - EMBL-fellows-career-service

Why join us

Enjoy lots of employee benefits:

Financial incentives:Monthly family and child allowances generous stipend reviewed yearly pension scheme death benefit and unemployment insurances
Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working patterns
Private medical insurancefor you and your immediate family
Generous time off:30 days annual leave per year in addition to public holidays
Campus life:Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg) on-site library subsidised on-site cafeteria casual dress code extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg) 10 days of child sick leave paid maternity & parental leave holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances

What else you need to know

International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Read more on our page for international applicants.
Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders identities nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.
Job location: All our fellowships are based on-site (for at least part of each week). If you are living overseas you will receive a generous relocation package to support you.
EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here
How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date

24/04/2026

Required Experience:

Unclear Seniority

Your groupFabio Petronis lab - EMBL Rome.Our mission is to build AI systems that act as cognitive members of a scientific laboratory. We design and evaluate agentic AI systems that collaborate with researchers across the full discovery cycle: literature analysis hypothesis generation experimental de...