AI Research and Partnerships Lead (Mat leave cover)

Shape the Future of AI-Driven Autonomy with VML MAP Agentic Labs 

Are you passionate about pushing the boundaries of AI technology? Are you driven by advanced AI research and building strategic collaborations that create real-world impact? If so, join our Agentic AI Lab as an AI Research & Partnerships Lead, where you'll play a critical role in shaping the future of AI autonomy, driving innovative solutions, and expanding our ecosystem of knowledge and influence. 

About VML MAP Agentic Labs 

At VML MAP, we are pioneering agentic AI—AI systems that go beyond automation to enable truly intelligent, goal-driven collaboration between humans and machines. Over the past year, we’ve built VML MAP Agentic Labs, a four-pronged initiative focused on designing, building, and implementing agentic AI solutions that deliver tangible business value and industry transformation.

Our labs include: 

• Agentic Design Lab – A product-centric function focused on uncovering and designing high-impact agentic AI opportunities.
• Agentic Development Lab – A best-in-class development practice delivering multi-agent workflows with rapid, outcome-driven iterations.
• Agentic Research Lab – Advancing agentic architecture, human+AI collaboration, and AI reasoning with deep methodological research.
• Agentic Tooling Lab – Ensuring our AI solutions are optimized for real-world adoption and seamlessly integrate with existing tech stacks. 

As the AI Research & Partnerships Lead, you will drive our applied research initiatives, establish and strengthen academic & industry collaborations, and develop educational content that accelerates adoption of agentic AI capabilities. 

What will your day look like?

As part of the Agentic AI Lab, you’ll be at the forefront of AI research, working alongside researchers, engineers, and business leaders to bridge cutting-edge research with practical AI applications.

Your responsibilities will include: 

Delivering Purpose-Driven, Innovative Solutions 

• Identify and develop applied AI research projects that enhance developer pilot programs, ensuring measurable impact and scalability.
• Collaborate with AI engineers and product teams to integrate cutting-edge research into production-ready AI systems.
• Lead exploratory research initiatives that push the boundaries of agentic AI capabilities.

Establishing & Cultivating Strategic Partnerships 

• Build and strengthen partnerships with leading academic institutions, research labs, and tech companies to accelerate AI innovation.
• Act as a thought leader, representing VML MAP in research consortia, AI summits, and technical working groups.
• Lead the development of collaborative research proposals, joint initiatives, and grant applications to drive AI advancements. 

Developing Agentic Educational Content & Enablement 

• Design and create both technical and non-technical educational resources that demystify agentic AI, empowering developers to build next-generation AI systems & enabling business stakeholders to understand and build with agentic components.
• Develop workshops and knowledge-sharing initiatives to foster a culture of AI-driven innovation.
• Publish white papers, research findings, and technical blogs to shape industry discourse on AI autonomy and multi-agent systems. 

Who are you going to work with?

You will be part of the Agentic Design Lab, collaborating closely with a diverse team of engineers, data scientists, strategists, and marketers. Reporting to the Director of AI, you’ll receive guidance and support to explore new opportunities and deliver impactful outcomes. At VML MAP, we foster a flat organizational structure that encourages collaboration, innovation, and professional growth.

What do you bring to the table?

We’re looking for someone who is deeply research-driven, highly strategic, and passionate about AI partnerships.

You should have: 

• Strong expertise in AI research, ideally in agentic AI & multi-agent systems.
• Experience leading AI research projects—either in academia, industry, or at the intersection of both.
• A proven track record of building and managing research partnerships with universities, AI labs, or tech organizations.
• Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks such as LangGraph, CrewAI, AutoGen, SmolAgents, or similar.
• Excellent technical communication skills, with experience writing research papers, technical blogs.
• A background in AI/ML development (Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• A passion for education and knowledge-sharing, with experience in developing AI-related training content. 

Its a plus if you have:

• Publications in AI conferences/journals (NeurIPS, ICML, AAAI, ICLR, etc.)
• Experience working in AI research labs, think tanks, or technical consortia.
• Experience securing AI research grants or funding partnerships.
• Experience leading open-source AI initiatives. 

A leader in personalized customer experiences

VML MAP is a world-leading Centre of Excellence that helps businesses humanize the relationship between the brand and the customer through hyper personalization at scale, marketing automation and CRM. With the brain of a consultancy, the heart of an agency and the power of technology and data, we work with some of the world's most admired brands to help them on their transformation journey to becoming truly customer-centric. Together, we are 1000 + technology specialists, data scientists, strategic thinkers, consultants, operations experts, and creative minds from 55+ nationalities.

A global network

We are part of the global VML network that encompasses more than 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 60+ markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. 

#LI-EMEA

WPP (VML MAP) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. 

For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML MAP on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

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