Senior Research Scientist (Trust Technologies) Full-time

Job Title

Nanyang Technological University's National Centre for Research in Digital Trust (DTC) is seeking a dynamic, commercially driven individual to lead the end-to-end commercialization, technology translation, and industry engagement strategy for DTC.

Job Description

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.

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 Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a relevant technical or quantitative field.
• At least 8–10 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.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Hiring Institution: NTU