AITHYRA is a new, dynamic institute in Vienna, Austria, dedicated to advancing a biomedical revolution by connecting cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence with transformative Life Science research. Supported through generous funding from the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation and hosted by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, AITHYRA is building a world-class environment where AI specialists, experimental scientists, and engineers collaborate to push the boundaries of biomedical innovation. In February 2025, AITHYRA moved into its first laboratory and office space in the Marxbox at the Vienna BioCenter. In cooperation with the Vienna Business Agency, a new, jointly developed research building will be built by 2026.
We are currently searching for creative, curious and ambitious life scientists to become AITHYRA Starting Principal Investigators to join our founding teams.
The Research Area
AITHYRA’s mission is to harness advanced AI-driven methods to open new frontiers in biology and medicine. We welcome scientists from diverse backgrounds with interests in Cancer Research, Immunology, Microbiology, Genomicss Genome Engineering, Transcription Regulation and Epigenetics, Chemical Biologys Therapeutic Innovation, Biochemistry, Protein Design, and beyond. Our vision includes creating a fully automated, AI-driven robotics lab to accelerate experimental pipelines and generate “AI-ready” data at scale. A strong drive to develop and apply massively scalable experimental and computational approaches is hence considered a big plus. Experimental technologies will cover (but are not limited to) single-cell technologies, massively parallel genetic perturbations (deep mutational scanning), spatial biology, functional genomics, DNA-encoded chemical library screens and high-content microscopy and proteomics.
Your Qualifications and Background
We are looking for talented early-career scientists who
- have a stellar track record of impactful research and/or technology development, particularly in the fields and technologies mentioned above
- are excited about and have experience in merging cutting-edge AI tools with state-of-the-art biological research
- can design and implement scalable approaches that benefit from large and robust datasets
- are passionate about collaborative, interdisciplinary work spanning computational and experimental domains
- are eager to mentor and train the next generation of scientists and to contribute to an open, vibrant research culture
- are concluding their doctoral studies or postdoctoral, or have started their independent research group in the last three years
What We Offer
- a highly-competitive package of € 700,000 per year, including PI salary among the highest offered in Europe
- an initial five-year contract that can be expanded by additional four years upon a positive midterm review by AITHYRA’s Scientific Advisory Board
- for exceptionally successful Principal Investigators, we will offer the opportunity for rolling tenure after completing the initial nine years
- career development support: we are committed to investing in our people, including faculty, staff, and students. This includes training in leadership, conflict resolution, research management, and entrepreneurship
- support in third-party funding acquisition: We will help you to successfully apply for highly competitive grants, particularly focusing on ERC grants
- top-notch salary and benefits package, including health and pension insurance
- support, training, and incentivization in entrepreneurship, research commercialization and spin-off development
- an international family-friendly environment with a supportive and inclusive culture. We are part of the Vienna Biocenter campus, offering cafeteria and child daycare facilities on site
- access to and opportunity to build state-of-the-art experimental facilities (sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics, chemical screening), computer and AI-driven robotics infrastructure
- dedicated Managing Director and administrative support team (HR, travel, tech transfer office, PR, grant services, finance, purchasing, etc.). AITHYRA combines the best of academic, corporate, and start-up worlds
- a dedicated PhD program and a network of international collaborations, providing a source of top-notch students
- for interested candidates, we will facilitate obtaining a faculty appointment at the TU Vienna, University of Vienna, or the Medical University of Vienna
About AITHYRA
Founded in 2024, AITHYRA seeks to build Europe’s premier institute for AI-driven biological and medical research, uniting computer scientists, engineers, and biologists in a collaborative environment that fuses the mindset and agility of start-ups with the freedom of curiosity-driven academic environment. We expect to grow towards 10–14 junior and senior research groups, complemented by a dedicated team of staff scientist and engineers, substantial computational and experimental infrastructure, and a leading-edge AI-driven robotic laboratory. We are looking to recruit top-notch talent whom we will offer among the best conditions available in Europe. AITHRYA is led by two outstanding Scientific Directors with complementary background in AI and Life Sciences and a track record in entrepreneurship. Michael Bronstein is the DeepMind Professor of AI at Oxford who has pioneered geometric ML methods and successfully applied them to molecular modelling and design. He founded multiple startup companies, two of which had successful exits. Georg Winter is a chemical biologist who has worked at the interface of cancer research, gene control, and proteostasis. He has made several seminal contributions to the field of targeted protein degradation, aiming to rewire cellular degradation pathways with small molecules and continues to explore how biological circuits can be pharmacologically (re-)programmed. Learn more about the institute: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/aithyra
A Place to Work, Live, and Thrive: We strive to be an inclusive and diverse employer, offering a healthy work-life balance, dual career, and childcare services in one of the most livable and beautiful cities in Europe.
A Place for Training Future Leaders: We invest in career development and training, ensuring our scientists gain cross-disciplinary expertise in biology and AI. Our goal is to shape the next generation of academic and industrial research leaders that will make us proud within our walls or elsewhere.
A Place with an Entrepreneurial Culture: We champion a “start-up mindset,” taking strategic risks and adapting swiftly. We empower researchers to become founders, ambassadors, and role models in their fields, with strong support for translation and outreach.
A Place with the Highest Standards of Conduct: AITHYRA operates with a flat hierarchy, transparent
governance, and rigorous integrity. We subject ourselves to regular independent evaluations by top experts in the world to keep us on a path of continuous self-improvement and maximal impact.
Living and working in Vienna
Vienna is a truly international city that blends a rich cultural heritage with a modern, vibrant atmosphere. Renowned for its world-class music, art, and culinary scenes, it also offers exceptional public infrastructure, top-quality healthcare, and a safe environment, and is consistently ranked as one of the most livable in the world. As a global scientific hub, Vienna hosts numerous research institutions and fosters a collaborative, multicultural community that welcomes scientists from around the world. https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/global-liveability-index-2024/
Join Us
If you are an ambitious early-career scientist ready to propel your research to new heights, we invite you to be part of AITHYRA’s founding generation of Principal Investigators. Together, we will shape the future of AI-driven biomedical research - and unlock the next breakthroughs in life sciences.
AITHYRA is an inclusive employer. We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of background, race, gender, or personal identity. The working language at AITHYRA is English.
We look forward to your application!
AITHYRA Management Team:
Anita Ender, Managing Director,
Michael Bronstein, Director AI,
Georg Winter, Director Life Sciences
Application Details
Applications should be written in English and contain
- Curriculum Vitae with full publication list (and ORCID number)
- list of up to 3 most important papers with a short comment including specification of your contributions (each max. 100 words)
- funding plans (including funding record; max. 1 page in total)
- names and addresses of three references
- summary of research interests and objectives including statements on (i) how your research interfaces with/benefits from AI and Life Sciences (ii) how your research could be scaled/what is achievable through scaling (max. 3 pages)
Please send your application files to [email protected] indicating the Reference-Code in the subject line: AITHYRA LS PI
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Potential Starting Date: October 2025
