Director, Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence

Job Title : Director, Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) Faculty / Department : Research Location : Oakville, Ontario, Canada Application Deadline : August 12, 2024 Job Number : J0724-0411

Sheridan is currently seeking candidates for the role of Director, CAAI who will be responsible for advancing CAAI’s reputation and evolution as a leading research and innovation centre supporting the application of artificial intelligence across all sectors.

The Director reports to the Dean, Innovation and provides strategic and operational leadership for the direction of CAAI and its suite of innovation supports for industry and community partners.

These activities provide compelling training experiences to students, research opportunities for faculty and staff, and substantive economic and social benefits for individual companies and community partners as well as Ontario and Canada as whole.

The Director is responsible for the establishment and development of partnerships and revenue generation that will ensure CAAI’s financial viability;

as well as the management of both research and operational staff and CAAI’s facilities and advanced technologies. The Director works collaboratively with other Directors of Sheridan’s four other Research and Entrepreneurship Centres, as well as academic leaders and faculty members, to foster interdisciplinary and cross-sector connections that engage faculty and student researchers to best meet the needs of our innovation partners.

The Director is responsible for ensuring CAAI’s deliberate integration with other areas of Sheridan, driving academic innovation through connections to the Faculties, and with specific attention to the Generator Support Office which manages research administration functions and supports for Sheridan.

What You'll Be Doing :

• Providing strategic leadership for CAAI based on your advanced understanding of global innovation occurring within the application of Artificial Intelligence technologies and workflows across diverse industry sectors;
• and the unique leading role that CAAI can play within Ontario as it continually adapts to meet the changing innovation needs of potential community and industry partners;
• Guiding the Centre’s operations, with particular responsibility and accountability for the financial viability of CAAI through revenue generation from grants and contracts for applied research, training and other innovation supports which includes development of projects, writing of grant and other funding applications, and execution of all CAAI projects to fulfill funder mandates and meet project deliverables;
• Stewarding CAAI’s external partnerships and business development; cultivating applied research, training and other innovation support partnerships with industry and community partners, funding agencies, and other academic institutions;
• Providing leadership and direction to the CAAI team; optimizing team performance and professional capacity through effective recruiting, workflow / project planning, faculty and student mentorship, and employee development and performance management;
• Actively engaging with other research and entrepreneurship centres at Sheridan, the Faculties, and Sheridan’s Generator Support Office in order to grow Sheridan’s innovation ecosystem and more fully meet the needs of our partners and communities;
• Performing other related duties, as assigned.

About You

You have proven experience in project planning and management leading a variety of applied research projects, including mid to large, and long-term;

as well as discipline / industry expertise relevant to CAAI’s areas of focus.

You bring an entrepreneurial spirit and innovation skills that allow you comfort with entering unchartered territory and spotting new opportunities.

Your excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation and mediation skills allow you to build relationships and formal partnerships with internal and external stakeholders with diverse agendas.

You bring proven leadership experience with the ability to effectively mentor and manage people and change in order to optimize team performance.

The ideal candidate will possess the following :

• Master’s degree in Computer Science / Information Technology, software engineering, or other related field
• 7 years of significant work experience in a related, relevant area of focus (equivalency will be considered)
• Deep knowledge of artificial intelligence and broad and in-depth knowledge of current and emerging trends in its application across multiple sectors
• Capacity to develop and execute research projects and demonstrated experience in a research and development environment
• Business and partnership development experience
• Grant writing and administration experience
• Experience addressing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion within organizational development as well as in meeting community needs through partnerships and projects
• Experience with financial budgeting, management and reporting
• Thorough knowledge of research funding landscape in Ontario and Canada

Who We Are

Located at Sheridan’s Oakville, Ontario Trafalgar campus, CAAI is an integral part of Generator at Sheridan and our institution’s research, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Current and recent partnerships and projects : . The Centre for Applied AI’s researchers and students use leading technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Mobile, Wearable Computing, Augmented / Virtual Reality / Mixed Reality (AR / VR / MR) and Internet of Things (IoT).

The Centre for Applied AI’s facilities include two labs supported by Federal and Provincial funding that cover more than 2,000 square feet.

These labs are equipped with state-of-the-art resources, including powerful NVIDIA DGX stations tailored for Machine Learning research.

The Centre also has an array of Virtual and Mixed Reality tools such as Microsoft Hololens, IoT sensors and devices, and comprehensive software development and source code management tools.

Every member of the Sheridan community is passionate about the transformational role we play in people’s lives. Our strategic plan, Sheridan 2027 : Forging the Future (), charts a path towards a new ground-breaking model of higher education that reshapes post-secondary education and better prepares students for the future.

We are committed to demonstrably advancing equity, diversity, and inclusivity. Diversity is our strength and fuels our commitment to excellence.

Across our campuses, we’re making meaningful strides towards developing an equitable and inclusive community.