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CMKL University is Thailand’s premier graduate-level engineering institution, founded in 2017 as a joint venture between Carnegie Mellon University and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL). We build world-class research and talent at the intersection of AI, computer systems, and sovereign technology — anchored in Thailand, oriented toward ASEAN, connected to Pittsburgh.
Our research footprint also spans the AI Engineering Institute (AIEI), national consortium programs across nine Thai universities, and a strategic research framework covering sovereign compute, medical AI, educational AI, world foundation model, confidential computing, physical AI/robotics, sovereign silicon, AI workforce development, and agentic AI systems.
We are seeking a Director of Research & Development to lead CMKL’s research portfolio across all programs and institutes. This is a senior leadership role with university-wide scope — shaping research strategy, building cross-disciplinary programs, stewarding major grants and consortium initiatives, and growing the next generation of Thai and ASEAN research leaders.
We are particularly interested in candidates who have built careers abroad — at top global universities, national labs, or research-intensive industry — and are ready to return home to build something with national consequence.
- Set research direction across CMKL’s institutes and programs, aligning faculty, students, and external partners around coherent, high-impact agendas.
- Lead major grant and consortium efforts, including national-scale initiatives across the seven AIEI pillars and partnerships with NSTDA, NECTEC, ETDA, and international collaborators.
- Build and mentor research teams — recruiting faculty, postdocs, and PhD students; developing PIs; cultivating a culture of rigor, ambition, and collaboration.
- Steward industry and government partnerships with NVIDIA, AWS, Google, Carnegie Mellon, sovereign wealth funds, and Thai ministries — translating relationships into research programs and infrastructure.
- Oversee research infrastructure including GPU compute, lab facilities, and shared platforms supporting work across the university.
- Represent CMKL externally at international venues, policy discussions, and consortium leadership meetings.
- PhD in Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, or a closely related field, with a strong publication record at top venues.
- 10+ years of research leadership experience at a leading university, national lab, or research-intensive industry organization (e.g., faculty at R1 institutions, principal/staff research scientist roles, or equivalent).
- Track record of building research programs — grants won, teams grown, partnerships forged, outcomes delivered.
- Comfort operating at multiple altitudes — from technical depth in your own area to strategic orchestration across diverse domains.
- Connection to Thailand or ASEAN, with the desire and readiness to build research capacity in the region.
- Bilingual capability (Thai and English) preferred; both Thai and English fluency required.
- A senior leadership seat at a young, ambitious university with real institutional momentum and national mandate.
- Competitive compensation benchmarked against academic and industry markets, with relocation support.
- Direct collaboration with CMKL faculty and access to the broader research ecosystem.
- Substantial discretionary research budget and infrastructure access (GPU clusters, fabrication partnerships, clinical and industrial collaborators).
- The chance to shape Thailand’s AI and engineering research landscape during a generational inflection point.
Submit a CV, research statement, leadership statement (2–3 pages on how you would build CMKL’s R&D portfolio), and three references to [email protected] with subject line:
“Director of R&D Application — [Your Name]”
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We particularly encourage Thai and ASEAN nationals working abroad to apply.
CMKL University is committed to building a diverse research community and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
