Program Scientist, Agents

Responsibilities

• Manage the AI Agents pilot program, overseeing scientific strategy, budget, and delivery of measurable goals.
• Design and build new AI agents and other AI programs to advance scientific discovery.
• Oversee the sourcing and selection of researchers and projects to fund in alignment with program strategy.
• Manage grantee relationships, tracking progress and providing necessary support to research teams.
• Build and manage an open-source platform for testing multi-agent coordination in complex environments.
• Contribute to the overall strategy of the AI Center and Schmidt Sciences through expert advisory and partnership development.
• Represent the organization at industry and academic conferences to engage with the global AI community.

Requirements

• Scientific doctorate from an accredited institution.
• 4+ years of post-graduate experience in a relevant scientific or research field.
• Hands-on experience building and conducting research on generative AI agents.
• Demonstrated track record of scientific accomplishments, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications.
• Ability to critically analyze grant proposals and technical research.
• Proven ability to develop research partnerships and lead complex efforts end-to-end.
• Ability to travel regularly within the U.S. and internationally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing and implementing Multi-Agent Systems or building "testbeds" for agent simulation.
• Familiarity with standardized protocols like Agent2Agent and MCP.
• Ability to apply game theory or behavioral economics to agent interaction models.
• Experience managing open-source software lifecycles.
• Hands-on experience developing large language models (LLMs) or other foundation AI models.
• Existing professional network within science-focused institutions or philanthropic organizations.

About the Company

Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs. Through its AI and Advanced Computing Institute, the organization supports research in areas poised for massive impact, including AI for science, the science of AI, and beneficial AI, to help create a thriving planet.