AI Research Lead

Haizea Analytics is developing the next generation of Earth observation data and analysis platforms. Through Terrak.io, we're building the technology to make decades of satellite and climate observations accessible, bringing together enormous data archives, advanced computing, and AI to change how we understand and monitor our planet.

AI is central to where we're going next. We want to move beyond conventional satellite data processing towards models that can learn from the Earth's observational record, combine information from different sensors, reconstruct missing observations, and represent complex environmental processes in new ways.

We're looking for an AI Research Lead to lead Gaia Research, our AI research lab, and help develop the models and methods that will underpin this next generation of Terrak.io.

This is a hands-on scientific leadership role. You'll define research directions, develop and train models, design experiments, and build a team of researchers working at the intersection of AI and Earth science. You'll have access to extensive satellite and climate archives, a dedicated GPU training cluster, and the engineering capabilities to take successful research into production.

Our research spans generative models, self-supervised learning, geospatial foundation models, learned compression, multi-sensor fusion, and AI emulation of physical models. We want someone who can bring their own ideas, identify important research questions, and help us explore new approaches.

You'll have the opportunity to publish original research, collaborate with universities and scientific organisations, and see your work become part of a platform used by scientists, governments, and industry.

If you're an experienced AI researcher who wants to lead a research programme, work on challenging scientific problems, and help build a new generation of Earth observation technology, we'd like to hear from you.

As AI Research Lead, you'll lead Gaia Research and develop the AI capabilities that will underpin the next generation of Terrak.io. Your focus will be on:

• Advance AI research for Earth observation. Develop original models and methods that improve how we represent, combine, compress, and analyse satellite and climate data.

• Build the next generation of Earth data products. Turn research advances into scalable AI models and capabilities that become part of Terrak.io and enable new ways to explore and understand the Earth.

• Establish a strong research programme. Identify important scientific challenges, set research priorities, and deliver measurable advances through rigorous experimentation and evaluation.

• Build and lead a talented research team. Recruit, mentor, and guide researchers, creating an environment that produces high-quality scientific work and encourages new ideas.

• Demonstrate scientific excellence. Produce reproducible research, publish original findings, and contribute new methods and knowledge to the wider AI and Earth observation communities.

• Connect research with real applications. Work with Haizea's scientists, engineers, and partners to ensure new models address meaningful scientific problems and can be used in operational systems.

• Develop research collaborations. Establish partnerships with universities, research institutions, and industry to pursue new ideas, share expertise, and extend the reach of Gaia Research.

We're looking for an experienced AI researcher with a strong scientific background, practical deep learning expertise, and the ability to lead original research.

Essential qualifications

• A PhD or equivalent research experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer science, or a related quantitative field.

• A strong record of original research, demonstrated through scientific publications, open-source models, datasets, or deployed AI systems.

• Deep expertise in one or more areas of modern AI, such as generative models, self-supervised learning, foundation models, learned compression, or spatio-temporal modelling.

• Hands-on experience designing, training, and evaluating deep learning models, including strong Python and PyTorch skills and experience with GPU computing.

• Experience leading research projects, mentoring researchers, or setting scientific and technical direction.

• Strong scientific judgement, with an emphasis on rigorous experimentation, reproducibility, and meaningful evaluation.

• Good communication skills and the ability to collaborate across scientific and engineering disciplines.

Highly regarded

• Experience with Earth observation, remote sensing, geospatial data, or environmental and climate modelling.

• Experience developing AI models for large-scale spatial, temporal, or multimodal datasets.

• Knowledge of physical modelling, scientific machine learning, neural emulators, or physics-informed AI.

• Experience translating research models into scalable, operational systems.

• A record of scientific collaborations, research partnerships, or successful grant applications.

You don't need to be an Earth observation specialist. We're particularly interested in researchers who can bring new ideas and techniques from other areas of AI. What matters most is your ability to conduct original research, develop effective models, and lead a team tackling challenging scientific problems.

At Haizea Analytics, you'll have the opportunity to lead an AI research programme focused on some of the most interesting challenges in Earth observation, from generative models and foundation models to learned compression and the emulation of physical processes.

You'll have access to a dedicated GPU training cluster, extensive satellite and climate archives, and a team of scientists and engineers who can help turn research ideas into working systems.

We offer the freedom to develop new research directions, publish your findings, collaborate with universities and research organisations, and see your work used in environmental monitoring and scientific applications.

The position is based in Canberra, Australia, at our office on the Australian National University campus. We offer a salary reflecting your experience, flexible working arrangements by agreement, and can consider visa sponsorship for international candidates.

Haizea Analytics is an Australian technology company based in Canberra, specialising in Earth observation, environmental science, and large-scale geospatial data processing.

We develop Terrak.io, a cloud-based platform that makes satellite, climate, and environmental data accessible for scientific analysis and practical applications. Our work supports government agencies, researchers, and industry in areas including bushfire monitoring, water management, environmental reporting, and land-use change.

Gaia Research is our AI research lab. We develop new machine learning methods to extract information from large Earth observation archives, combining expertise in AI, Earth science, and high-performance computing. Our research focuses on building models that can learn from decades of satellite observations, represent complex environmental processes, and make Earth data easier to analyse and use.

We're a team of scientists and engineers working closely together, with a strong emphasis on original research, scientific rigour, and practical applications.