Associate Professor - MSc Artificial Intelligence Programme Coordinator

About the Role

The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Bangalore is seeking an Associate Professor to lead the MSc Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme. This position includes responsibilities across teaching, programme coordination, and research within a globally affiliated academic setting. The ideal candidate will hold a PhD from a recognized institution in AI, Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related STEM domain, with the opportunity to establish a flagship AI educational programme.

MSc AI Programme Overview

The MSc AI programme encompasses key areas including Machine Learning and Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, AI Ethics and Governance, Data Engineering and ML Operations, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, and the application of AI in Business and Society.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination and delivery of the MSc AI curriculum by designing course content, managing academic quality, assessments, laboratories, and overseeing dissertations and AI capstone projects.
• Collaborate with UWS to continuously improve curriculum relevance by integrating practical AI methodologies, cloud computing platforms, and contributing to related academic programmes.
• Conduct and promote high-quality AI research with publications in reputed journals and conferences, secure research funding, and build an internationally significant research profile.
• Guide student research endeavors, mentor researchers, participate and present at leading AI conferences, and foster partnerships with industry for practical AI projects.
• Oversee academic administration duties, ensuring compliance with accreditation standards, managing computing resources, assessment procedures, and programme evaluation processes.
• Support student success and academic excellence through mentoring and coordination across faculty, IT support, and industry advisors.
• Develop strong collaborations with industry to advance AI placement opportunities, live projects, and involvement with startups and governmental AI initiatives.
• Represent the institution at AI-related forums and contribute to policy discussions, while delivering executive education in AI to corporate clients.

Candidate Profile

• Educational qualifications: PhD in AI, Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or similar fields, obtained from a UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, or European university, accompanied by a relevant Master's degree and robust technical AI/ML skills.
• Experience of up to eight years in teaching and/or applied AI research, skilled in Python programming, AI/ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face, scikit-learn, LangChain, and cloud platforms including AWS, GCP, and Azure.
• Industry experience in AI/ML is highly advantageous; holding professional certifications like Google Professional ML Engineer, AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty, TensorFlow Developer, or DeepLearning.AI is desirable.
• Research output: A minimum of five peer-reviewed publications, with at least three papers indexed in Scopus/Web of Science or IEEE/ACM conference proceedings, and one published in top-tier AI/Computer Science conferences like NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, AAAI, or IJCAI.
• Additional valued contributions include arXiv preprints, open-source AI software, GitHub repositories, Kaggle competitions, and active research projects or government advisory roles.
• Exceptional communication capabilities in English, adept at elucidating complex AI topics to diverse audiences.
• Proficiency in managing full-cycle AI/ML projects and supervising applied AI implementations.
• Advocacy and knowledge of ethical AI principles including fairness, transparency, and responsibility.
• Strong leadership, adaptability, team management, and a commitment to student-centered education in a dynamic AI field.
• International outlook with experience of collaborating across academic institutions, industry, and policy environments.
• Motivated entrepreneurially with dedication to establishing an elite AI programme that educates ethically conscious, industry-ready graduates.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary package negotiated individually.
• Opportunities for career progression through industry engagement, executive education initiatives, and shaping a top-tier business school.
• Association with a prestigious UK-India university partnership delivering globally recognized qualifications.
• Valuable exposure to cooperation with university executives, global partners, accreditation organizations, and industry leaders.