AI Engineer

About The Company

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is a renowned institution committed to advancing medical education, research, and healthcare. The Office of Health Sciences Education (OHSE) supports the school's mission by providing comprehensive academic program administration, innovative educational design, and cutting-edge informatics solutions. With a focus on cultivating future healthcare leaders, Vanderbilt emphasizes excellence in teaching, research, and service. The institution fosters a collaborative environment that encourages innovation, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. As part of its strategic vision, Vanderbilt is dedicated to integrating advanced technology and artificial intelligence to enhance medical education and improve health outcomes globally.

About The Role

The Applied Artificial Intelligence Engineer is a pivotal member of the Education Design and Informatics team within Vanderbilt's Office of Health Sciences Education. This role is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying AI-powered features and systems to revolutionize medical education. As the first dedicated AI/ML specialist in the team, you will work closely with data engineers, full-stack developers, and instructional designers to embed intelligent functionalities into our educational platforms, particularly VSTAR. Your work will focus on creating personalized learning experiences, semantic content search, recommendation systems, and predictive analytics to identify at-risk learners and track competency progression. This is a highly autonomous position that offers the opportunity to shape AI strategy from inception to production, directly impacting the future of medical training and education.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field from an accredited institution
• 5-7 years of professional experience in AI, machine learning, or related fields
• Minimum of 3 years of applied machine learning and AI engineering experience
• Strong proficiency in Python and experience with ML frameworks such as scikit-learn, PyTorch, or TensorFlow
• Hands-on experience with large language models (LLMs), including prompt engineering, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation, and agent development
• Experience developing backend services and RESTful APIs using frameworks like FastAPI or Flask
• Proven track record of deploying AI/ML features into production environments
• Proficiency with SQL and data pipeline management
• Excellent communication skills for translating complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Azure and tools like Databricks is preferred
• Knowledge of MLOps practices and tools, including MLflow, CI/CD pipelines, and model registries, is preferred
• Experience with vector databases and multiple LLM providers is advantageous
• Background in education, healthcare, or mission-driven sectors is a plus
• Self-motivated with a strong ownership mentality and proactive approach to problem-solving

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement AI-powered features for educational platforms, including intelligent tutoring, semantic search, and personalized content recommendations
• Apply advanced AI implementation strategies such as retrieval-augmented generation, prompt engineering, and LLM orchestration to support educational use cases
• Build backend services and APIs to expose AI functionalities, collaborating with development teams for seamless integration
• Evaluate and select AI tools and services, balancing performance, cost, and reliability considerations
• Ensure responsible AI practices by implementing guardrails, content filtering, and transparency measures
• Develop and maintain ML pipelines in Databricks for feature engineering, model training, and evaluation
• Deploy and monitor AI models and services in production, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance
• Implement MLOps best practices, including version control, testing, documentation, and reproducibility
• Own the full lifecycle of AI features, including maintenance, updates, and decommissioning
• Contribute to predictive modeling initiatives such as learner performance forecasting and early intervention detection
• Collaborate with data engineering to ensure data infrastructure supports AI initiatives
• Work with instructional designers and educational leadership to identify high-impact AI opportunities
• Maintain current knowledge of AI advancements relevant to education and healthcare sectors
• Document processes and share knowledge across teams to foster continuous improvement

Benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Flexible remote work arrangement with optional hybrid options
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Generous paid time off and holiday leave policies
• Professional development opportunities and support for continuous learning
• Access to cutting-edge AI and educational technology tools
• Collaborative and innovative work environment within a leading academic institution
• Participation in impactful projects that advance medical education and health outcomes

Equal Opportunity

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We celebrate all backgrounds and identities and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status. We encourage applications from candidates who will contribute to our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and advancing our mission of excellence in education and healthcare.

This position does not provide sponsorship for employment now, or in the future, in any format.