Research Scientist – Gender & AI

About the role

MBZUAI is looking for a senior Research Scientist to embed gender equity, inclusion and social impact considerations across all Institute for Agriculture & AI (IAAI) research, development and deployment activities. The role will provide subject‑matter leadership on gender‑responsive AI research, advisory system design and evidence‑based interventions, especially for women smallholder farmers.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and lead the Institute’s gender and inclusion strategy, integrating it into research agendas, governance frameworks and operational guidelines.
• Advise AI researchers, data scientists and agronomy experts on gender‑sensitive research design, data collection, annotation, model evaluation and bias mitigation.
• Design and support targeted advisory services and interventions that improve accessibility and relevance of AI‑enabled solutions for women smallholder farmers.
• Integrate gender‑disaggregated indicators into monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks and analyse data to identify gender gaps.
• Provide technical guidance and capacity‑building to governments, partners and innovators on gender‑responsive AI and digital agricultural advisory systems.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Mathematics or a related field (PhD or equivalent applied research experience preferred).
• Minimum ten (10) years of progressive experience in technical assistance, program implementation or adoption‑focused roles within gender equity, development or innovation ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience working with governments and public‑sector institutions in low‑ and middle‑income countries, and leading multidisciplinary, multi‑country initiatives.