AI ML Support Analyst📣 Job Ad

About the Role

KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) is seeking an AI ML Support Analyst to join the Supercomputing Lab’s (KSL) AI/ML Support Team. This full-time position is based in Thuwal, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and is crucial for supporting the delivery of AI research services to KAUST's diverse research community. The analyst will work under the AI/ML Support Team Lead, focusing on the development and optimization of Generative AI models, maintaining computational benchmarks, and providing expert consultation.

Role Purpose and Context

The AI ML Support Analyst will serve as a bridge between cutting-edge computational infrastructure and the varied needs of the research community. This role contributes significantly to governance, technical enablement, and community development initiatives within KSL. The position involves providing specialized support across multiple scientific domains, including Climate & Weather, Bioinformatics, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and multimodal AI.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide timely and effective user support for all inquiries via telephone, walk-in, email, and ticketing systems, maintaining high customer service standards.
• Develop and consult on large-scale Generative AI model training on domain-specific datasets across various research areas.
• Support researchers in fine-tuning foundation models on domain-specific datasets using advanced optimization techniques.
• Develop data engineering pipelines to support AI research workflows and design efficient AI workflows optimized for KSL’s high-performance computing environment.
• Build and maintain secure, OCI-compliant, HPC-ready container images using tools such as Singularity or Podman.
• Develop complex workflows for distributed training and inference utilizing SLURM and Kubernetes.
• Conduct computational readiness reviews for AI research projects and assist in AI model and artifact control reviews to ensure compliance with institutional standards.
• Provide expert consultation to researchers on efficient utilization of AI resources, best practices, and the design of secure, compliant, and performant workflows.
• Support the implementation of usage monitoring and reporting systems and ensure user workflows comply with KSL security policies.
• Develop and maintain computational benchmarks for AI workloads on KSL systems and create regression testing workloads to stress test system functionality.
• Support performance debugging and optimization activities for research workloads and contribute to technology evaluation for future infrastructure investments.
• Create comprehensive training materials for end-users on KSL’s HPC systems and tools, and support the delivery of workshops on distributed training, fine-tuning, and inference optimization.
• Develop and maintain high-quality technical documentation and contribute to knowledge transfer initiatives within the KAUST research community.

Required Experience

Candidates should possess 2-5 years of experience in a relevant field, demonstrating practical expertise in AI/ML model development, optimization, and support within a high-performance computing context.

Technical Competencies

• Proficiency in Generative AI model training, fine-tuning, and advanced optimization techniques.
• Experience with data engineering pipelines and designing efficient AI workflows.
• Familiarity with containerization technologies (*, Singularity, Podman) and workflow orchestration (*, SLURM, Kubernetes).
• Knowledge of computational benchmarking, performance debugging, and system optimization.
• Ability to develop technical documentation and deliver training workshops effectively.
• Understanding of institutional standards, security policies, and compliance requirements for AI research.

Work Environment

This full-time position is situated within the KAUST Supercomputing Lab (KSL) in Thuwal, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The role involves close collaboration with a diverse research community, providing essential support for cutting-edge AI/ML initiatives and contributing to the advancement of scientific discovery.