Agentic AI Research Engineer; f​/m​/x

Agentic AI Research Engineer (f/m/x)

Job

Full time – 39 hrs./week – Neuherberg near Munich – Partial Home Office possible.

At Helmholtz Munich, we develop groundbreaking solutions for a healthier society in a rapidly changing world. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation. Through strong partnerships, we accelerate the transfer of new ideas from the lab to real-life applications, improving lives.

The Computational Health Center (CHC) at Helmholtz Munich drives research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedicine with the goal of enabling more precise and predictive health solutions. Within this environment, the Accessible Biomedical AI Research Group focuses on developing practical, transparent, and robust AI systems that can be used effectively by scientists in their day-to-day research activities.

To strengthen these efforts, we are partnering closely with the Helmholtz AI Consultant Team, which supports researchers across the Helmholtz Association in the adoption of AI methods and best practices. Together, we aim to bring the next generation of agentic AI support systems into real-world computational biology workflows at the CHC.

We offer you:

• A unique opportunity to shape the next generation of agentic AI tools for biomedical research.
• A highly interdisciplinary environment connecting AI, computational biology, human–computer interaction, and research software engineering.
• Close collaboration with the Helmholtz AI Consultant Team, providing direct exposure to a broad range of scientific use cases.
• Access to state-of-the-art computational resources and an open, collaborative research ecosystem.

You will lead the development of reliable agentic AI systems that support biomedical researchers in their daily workflows.

• Design and implement modular, protocol-driven AI workflows (e.g., task decomposition, planning, tool integration, validation loops) for real-world research scenarios.
• Develop and maintain production-quality software (primarily Python) to enable AI-assisted research processes across computational biology.
• Prototype, benchmark, and iteratively improve agentic systems with a strong focus on robustness, transparency, and reproducibility.
• Conduct structured exchanges with researchers to understand workflows, identify friction points, and translate user needs into technical solutions.
• Collaborate closely with Helmholtz AI, bioinformatics, and research data management teams to co-develop open, reusable infrastructure.
• Contribute to publications and open-source initiatives in areas such as agentic AI, human–AI interaction, and reproducible computational science.

• PhD in Computer Science, AI, Human-Computer Interaction, Computational Biology, Software Engineering, or a related field (or MSc with substantial professional experience).
• Strong software engineering skills in Python, including testing, packaging, and maintainable code development.
• Experience building or working with agentic systems, LLM-based tool use, or workflow orchestration frameworks.
• Ability to design modular workflows, APIs, or CLI-based architectures for complex systems.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across technical and scientific disciplines.

• Experience with user research methods (e.g., interviews, workflow analysis, usability testing).
• Familiarity with computational biology workflows, FAIR principles, metadata standards, or knowledge representation systems.
• Interest in human–AI collaboration and socio-technical system design.
• Experience contributing to open-source projects.

If you fulfill all the requirements, you may be eligible for a salary grade of up to E 13. Social benefits are based on the Collective Wage Agreement for Public-Sector Employees (TVöD). The position has an (initial) fixed term of 2 years but may be extended under certain circumstances.

Managing Director Mike Frieser:
We believe that diversity is the key to groundbreaking research and innovative solutions. Our flexible working models and remote options create a supportive environment for balancing work and family life. For us, contributing to a…