Senior Faculty-Level or Equivalent Position - AI Safety Foundations

Location: Binghamton, NY Category: Faculty Job Type: Full-time Posted On: Wed Oct 7 2026 Job Description:

The School of Computing in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton University (The State University of New York at Binghamton) invites applications for a senior faculty-level or equivalent position, with an expected start date of September 1, 2027. The primary focus of this search is on established academic researchers for appointment at the tenured Associate Professor or Full Professor level, as appropriate. Exceptionally accomplished senior research and technical leaders from industry, government, or research laboratories will also be considered for an appropriate appointment.

We seek an established scholar and research leader with an outstanding record of externally sponsored research and scholarly impact in the broad area of AI Safety Foundations. We are particularly interested in candidates who will advance the mathematical and theoretical foundations of AI safety and develop rigorous frameworks for evaluating, verifying, and, where possible, guaranteeing the safety of advanced AI systems.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Foundational Limits and Mathematical Theory: Physical limits of AI inference; information-theoretic limits of AI safety verification; and physics-informed machine learning for energy systems.

• Formal Methods and Verification: Formal verification of neural network properties; formal verification for non-attentional sequential models; certified robustness with provable adversarial bounds; and AI metrology.

• Physics-Informed and Physics-Constrained AI: Physics-informed principles for AI design, physics-constrained machine learning, and the development of AI systems that incorporate physical laws and domain constraints.

• AI Hardware and Energy-Efficient Computing: AI hardware architectures, energy-efficient machine learning, and the theoretical and technological foundations of safe, efficient, and reliable AI computing.

The successful candidate will provide intellectual leadership in this rapidly evolving field, develop a nationally and internationally recognized research program, and pursue significant external funding from federal and state agencies, industry, and other sponsors. The candidate will be expected to lead and participate in large-scale, multidisciplinary research initiatives and strengthen collaborative research across the School of Computing, the Watson College, and other academic and research units at Binghamton University and the broader SUNY system.

As a senior faculty hire, the successful candidate will contribute to expanding the School of Computing's research portfolio and strategic capabilities. The candidate will help build a vibrant research community through collaboration, mentorship, and the recruitment of outstanding faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. The candidate will also contribute to undergraduate and graduate education and mentor students and junior faculty, as appropriate to the candidate's appointment and background.

Research Environment

The position will be affiliated with the newly launched $55 million New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research (CAIRR) at Binghamton University - one of the nation's emerging centers focused on safe, responsible, and trustworthy artificial intelligence. The Center brings together researchers working across the technological, societal, and policy dimensions of AI and is intended to serve as a premier AI research hub for the State University of New York system, advancing transparent, accountable, secure, and public-focused AI technologies.

The successful candidate will have an opportunity to help shape the Center's research agenda and develop collaborative initiatives at the intersection of AI safety, cybersecurity, trustworthy computing, AI-enabled software engineering, and responsible AI. The position is particularly well suited to a scholar or senior research and technology leader interested in building interdisciplinary research teams and pursuing ambitious, externally funded research programs addressing emerging challenges.

Candidates from industry, government, or research laboratories should demonstrate a record of substantial technical or research leadership and the ability to contribute to the Center's research mission through research collaboration, technology development, industry partnerships, sponsored research, translation of research into practice, and/or other forms of high-impact innovation.

The School of Computing and the Watson College are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative environment for teaching, research, and professional engagement. We particularly welcome candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through their teaching, mentoring, research, and professional activities. Historically underrepresented minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

Job Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

• Demonstrated record of externally sponsored research commensurate with appointment at the Associate or Full Professor level.

• Record of peer-reviewed scholarly publications and demonstrated research impact in an area relevant to the position.

• Record of effective teaching and research mentoring at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels.

For exceptional candidates whose primary experience is outside a traditional academic setting, equivalent evidence of research leadership, technical innovation, and significant impact may be considered in evaluating qualifications for the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Outstanding and sustained record of externally sponsored research, including significant support from federal agencies and/or industry.

• National or international recognition for scholarly contributions in theoretical and foundational AI research or a closely related area.

• Demonstrated success in leading or contributing to large-scale, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, or industry-academic research collaborations.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and lead ambitious research initiatives and pursue major collaborative funding opportunities.

• Experience mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and/or junior faculty and building high-performing research teams.

• Evidence of translating research into practice through industry partnerships, software systems, technology development, technology transfer, standards development, policy engagement, or other forms of societal impact.

• Research expertise that complements and strengthens existing capabilities in AI, cybersecurity, trustworthy computing, autonomous and physical AI systems, quantum technologies, microelectronics, or other strategic areas at Binghamton University.

Please be advised that H1B visa sponsorship may not be available for this position.

Additional Information:

Binghamton University is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the ADA Coordinator by completing the following Request Form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfL3zD9n76Ma5icv9N-xdvrVyU3kuaMxgW1-L2Syi-uwPGw2Q/viewform?usp=header) .

The State University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. It is the policy of Binghamton University to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

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Offers of employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment background check and verification of degree(s) and credentials.