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About Aspire - IITB Research Park Foundation (IITBRPF):In 2016, the Ministry of Education entrusted IIT Bombay with a pivotal mission: to establish the Research Park within the sprawling campus in Powai, Mumbai. This led to the creation of ASPIRE – the IIT Bombay Research Park Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to catalysing innovation and research with real-world impact.Inspired by globally successful research park models, ASPIRE (Applied Science Park for Innovation Research & Entrepreneurship) emerges as the epicenter, that connects knowledge, expertise, and resources seamlessly, fostering a strong and collaborative industry-academia ecosystem with a global outlook.We cultivate R&D partnerships which evolve into a thriving innovation hub, advancing technologies with meaningful societal impact. Our industry-centric workspaces facilitate collaborative development, while students gain invaluable corporate research exposure, enriching the nation’s talent pool. It’s a dynamic ecosystem where academia, industry, and students converge to drive innovation and uphold academic excellence.Job Description:Provide subject-matter depth and thought leadership in a designated research domain, materials and manufacturing. Act as the bridge between cutting-edge academic research and industry application, ensuring that ASPIRE’s focus area on materials and manufacturing yields high-value collaborations, projects, and innovation outcomes. The Thematic Expert will curate opportunities, mentor engagements, and shape the narrative of ASPIRE’s domain leadership, positioning IIT Bombay as a trusted partner for industry and government stakeholders.Roles and Responsibilities:- End-to-end accountability of collaboration projects between industry member companies and IIT Bombay academia (faculty, centres, etc.). - Creating strategic roadmaps for sustained collaboration. - Identifying opportunities based on expressed and latent needs of industry and faculty. - Converting intent in to defined projects through deep technical brainstorming. - Following through on defined projects to ensure progress per agreed scope and deliverables. - Ensuring delivery of outputs with high stakeholder satisfaction. - Domain leadership: Track global and national trends in the thematic area, distill insights, and translate them into actionable opportunities for ASPIRE and its partners. - Knowledge dissemination: Represent ASPIRE at conferences, workshops, and industry forums; contribute to thought leadership through white papers, position notes, and curated events. - Cross-disciplinary integration: Collaborate with other thematic experts to foster projects across domains. Also, collaborate with TRYST, SINE, EO and other industry facing organizations within IIT Bombay to drive engagements in the thematic area.Success Indicators:- Increase in industry-sponsored engagements (projects, consultancy, grants, partnerships) in the thematic area. - Delivery of projects resulting in tangible gains for industry and faculty collaborators. - Recognition of ASPIRE and IIT Bombay as a go-to partner in the domain, evidenced by visibility in industry forums. - Translation outcomes: Demonstrable movement of academic research into industry adoption. - Stakeholder satisfaction: Positive feedback from faculty, industry partners, and government agencies on thematic engagement. - Cross-domain impact: Increase in interdisciplinary projects and initiatives that leverage multiple thematic areas for higher-value outcomes.Skills and Expertise:- Preferred Doctoral degree holders, with masters in related field and two to three years of industry R&D experience. - Technical depth in materials and manufacturing. - Ability to collaborate with teams in a multi‐cultural, multi‐disciplinary environment. - Strong analytical and persuasion/negotiation skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, motivate and advocate. - Ability to succeed in often interrupt driven, ambiguous, and highly flexible environments. - Ability to tailor solutions to meet industry-specific needs and to understand the nuances of their needs on Innovation. - Previous work at international level and knowledge of international best practices would be an advantage.We are an equal-opportunity employer.