Professor of Practice (AI / ML)

About Us

Atria University desires and enables research impact beyond publications. We operate without traditional departments (HoDs). Faculty are housed within Centres of Excellence (CoE), fostering deep, cross-disciplinary collaboration. This role will primarily be affiliated with the CoE (AI).

Why this role?

Translate your high-impact experience into an academic setting. This role is designed for the practitioner who wants to go beyond corporate deliverables to find deep intellectual satisfaction by solving complex, long-horizon problems with real societal impact in collaboration with faculty and highly motivated students.

What you’ll do

Translate complex, ambiguous problems into structured data science pipelines. Guide student teams through the entire lifecycle, from data ingestion and model training to deployment and maintenance (MLOps).

Leverage your existing professional network to secure industry sponsorships and consultancy contracts that fund research operations and student stipends, ensuring a sustainable project pipeline.

The expected output is not just academic papers, but deployable software artifacts, validated models, patents / IP, and tangible solutions implemented by external partners.

Design and lead a light teaching load (approx. 2-3 project sprints per year). These are not traditional lectures but intensive, 4-credit, project-driven modules based on current, live industry problems.

Act as a senior mentor, preparing students for real-world careers by teaching them industry best practices, project management, technical communication, and ethical considerations in AI.

Conduct workshops and masterclasses focused on cutting-edge industry tools and techniques (e.g., cloud platforms, distributed computing, Responsible AI).

Serve as a vital bridge between the University and the Indian Data Science / Tech ecosystem, facilitating knowledge transfer, guest lectures, and placement opportunities.

What will set you up for success (Must-Have)

Minimum of 10 years of progressive, hands-on experience in Data Science, Machine Learning, AI Engineering, or a closely related field.

A proven track record of leading and shipping impactful ML / DS projects within a technology company, research organization, or a high-growth startup in India.

Expert proficiency in core ML frameworks, cloud computing environments (AWS, Azure, GCP), Data Science tools (Python / R, SQL), and productionizing models (MLOps / DevOps).

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field. (Ph.D. is NOT required.)

Desired Attributes (Nice-to-Have)

Experience in a senior leadership role (e.g., Principal Data Scientist, Director of AI, Head of Data).

Experience or deep interest in applying ML to domains with societal impact (e.g., Sustainability, Public Policy, Health-tech).

Prior experience in training, mentoring, or leading technical teams.

What We Offer

Freedom to select and drive high-impact projects that align with your intellectual curiosity and personal values.

Access to dedicated compute infrastructure, data science tools, and enthusiastic, talented students ready to execute on real problems.

The opportunity to build a personal legacy by training future innovators and delivering solutions that address India's most pressing challenges.

Options for flexible engagement models (e.g., sabbatical appointments, long-term contracts) designed to transition industry professionals smoothly.