Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) - www.fbk.eu - is a leading non-profit, public research institution
with an international profile, recognized for the quality of its research in science, technology, and
social and human sciences, as well as for its high economic and social impact. FBK is renowned for its focus on interdisciplinarity and complexity, and it is organized into various research centers, hosting researchers from over 70 countries.
The goals pursued by Fondazione Bruno Kessler can be summarized as follows: broadening the
horizon of its research and social responsibility, enhancing the integration of its research and
innovation activities, increasing its appeal especially to young researchers, working towards a new generational and gender balance, and shifting the skills of scientific management towards a
"people-oriented" managerial approach.
With its state-of-the-art facilities spanning 3,500 square meters of laboratories and scientific
infrastructures, and a vibrant community of over 700 researchers, 200 doctoral students, and 200
visiting fellows and doctoral candidates, Fondazione Bruno Kessler acts as a scientific and
technological hub, its premises and platforms hosting a lively ecosystem of co-located ventures,
spin-offs, projects, and training.

Within this context, the establishment of the new Center for Machine Intelligence (MI) represents
a strategic step for Fondazione Bruno Kessler in addressing the scientific challenge of the next
generation of intelligent systems and agents capable of perceiving, analyzing, predicting, and
acting within complex and dynamic physical environments. It enables this challenge to be
addressed in a structured way by bringing together complementary expertise in perception,
learning, and reasoning, along with capabilities in orchestrating distributed systems and intelligent
infrastructures.
Within the Center’s strategic vision, Machine Intelligence for complex physical systems is grounded in the integration of perception capabilities (2D/3D), predictive analytics, IoT architectures, and interconnected autonomous systems. This creates a framework for developing AI solutions able to understand the physical environment, anticipate its evolution, and support autonomous decision-making in complex systems, while adapting to the heterogeneity of real-world operationaL contexts.
In this context, well-established application areas include the processing and enhancement of data collected from aerial and satellite sensors, as well as from industrial systems and intelligent
agricultural machinery, alongside AI applications in weather and energy. In these domains, artificial intelligence is measured not only by the quality of data analysis but also by its ability to manage complex dynamics in real time.
Within this broader picture, robotics represents a key area for long-term exploration and
experimentation, a field that is gaining increasing relevance in the international landscape of
research and technological innovation.

FBK is seeking a Director for the Research Center for Machine Intelligence (MI).
The Director will provide both scientific and managerial leadership within a high-value,
collaborative team environment. We invite applications from scientists with a strong and
recognized scientific reputation, as well as demonstrated managerial skills and strategic vision.
The ideal candidate will be able to manage research and innovation aimed at developing
next-generation intelligent systems and agents for complex physical environments. This role
involves guiding developments across the Center’s units to deliver high-impact AI solutions in
perception, learning, and reasoning for industrial systems, digital agriculture, aerospace sensing
and energy applications, while driving long-term strategic exploration in robotics.
Candidates should have proven managerial qualifications, significant national and international
experience, and a well-established network within their scientific and professional communities.