Research Scientist (Trust Technologies) Full-time

DTC Commercialization Lead

Nanyang Technological University's National Centre for Research in Digital Trust (DTC) is a Trust Technology Research Centre to execute a national program to help put Singapore into a strong trust hub. The key objective is to support efforts to create a trusted digital environment for people and businesses in the digital transformation by providing businesses and consumers with greater assurance and confidence as they digitalize.

We are seeking a dynamic, commercially driven individual to lead the end-to-end commercialization, technology translation, and industry engagement strategy for DTC. The successful candidate will bridge the gap between world-class researchers and industry stakeholders by translating advanced TrustTech and AI Safety research into real-world business solutions, identifying high-impact enterprise use cases, driving adoption across strategic industry verticals (e.g., Financial Services, Telecommunications, Healthcare, and Tech), and executing joint industry Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs). The successful candidate will work closely with DTC leadership, Principal Investigators (PIs), research engineers, external corporate partners, and public sector agencies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Evaluate R&D outcomes across Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, Decentralization & Blockchain, and AI Risk Management for commercial viability and translate them into products and services.
• Conduct market readiness assessments and develop value propositions tailored to enterprise, regulatory, and public sector requirements.
• Drive outreach and build strategic partnerships with corporate leaders, multinational corporations (MNCs), local enterprises, and technology startups across key sectors, including Financial Services, Telecommunications, Technology, and the Public Sector.
• Manage and scale the industry engagement pipeline, converting technical discussions into formal industry collaborations, Joint Labs, and paid Proof-of-Concept (PoC) implementations.
• Oversee existing and incoming industry PoCs to ensure that target metrics and business outcomes are achieved.
• Represent DTC at flagship industry events, roundtables, and international showcases to build mindshare and drive enterprise leads.
• Collaborate with key government and ecosystem partners, including IMDA and NRF, to align commercialization efforts with national strategic priorities.
• Prepare and deliver presentations highlighting DTC research achievements and innovations.
• Track and evaluate progress on DTC's Innovation & Enterprise (I&E) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including the number of technologies deployed and licensing/IP revenue.
• Support the preparation of progress reports and commercialization proposals for DTC Management and funding agencies.

Job Requirements:

• The candidate should possess a Master's degree in Business, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a relevant technical or quantitative field.
• At least 6 years of relevant experience in technology commercialization, corporate innovation, product management, business development, or venture building, preferably within deep-tech or enterprise software sectors.
• Proven track record in translating complex technologies from early-stage R&D into commercial deployment, enterprise adoption, or industry Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs).
• Demonstrated experience in engaging, negotiating with, and managing senior stakeholders across financial institutions, MNCs, and government agencies.
• Familiarity with one or more of the following areas is highly preferred: Privacy-Preserving Technologies (PETs), Federated Learning, Fully Homomorphic Encryption, Secure Multi-Party Computation, AI Safety, AI Testing & Evaluation, Trustworthy AI Governance, Blockchain, or Decentralization.
• Strong ability to bridge academic research and industry needs, translating complex technical concepts into clear business value propositions and commercial use cases.
• Strong communication, presentation, networking, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, self-motivated, entrepreneurial, and able to work effectively in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment and deliver under tight timelines.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple technical PoCs, industry opportunities, and funding or grant calls concurrently.

Hiring Institution: NTU