Tackling major scientific problems by combining expertise in the natural sciences with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) research.
DeepMind’s diverse and interdisciplinary teams work together to solve major scientific problems across AI, neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and more.
Launched in 2010, it joined forces with Google in 2014, and today offers exciting career opportunities for people wanting to make a positive impact on the world. We spoke to four employees about their roles and what they like most about being part of the DeepMind community.
Alhussein Fawzi
Research Scientist, DeepMind
Alhussein Fawzi uses AI to tackle unresolved mathematical problems.
What path led to your current role?
I did my PhD in Switzerland on theoretical aspects of machine learning to understand neural networks. I then decided to use machine learning to solve mathematical problems and complex reasoning tasks, as a way to understand the current limitations of neural networks.
What surprised you about working at DeepMind?
Few places gather such a breadth and depth of expertise in one place. We have practical engineering expertise all the way through to theoretical expertise and it makes the pace of research much faster.
Anna Potapenko
Research Engineer, DeepMind
Anna Potapenko works on the science team with a focus on using AI for biological problems.
How does your background inform your research?
My background is in applied mathematics and computer science. Early in my studies I became interested in machine learning and then did research in natural language processing. It’s actually still relevant for my role today, since you can think about many bioinformatics problems as text problems, but with a peculiar alphabet.
What area are you most excited to have an impact in? And why?
Machine learning algorithms are everywhere e.g. many people use them on a daily basis in apps. Personally, I see an invaluable opportunity to advance science with these algorithms. Collaborating with so many experts from different backgrounds and the interdisciplinarity of the work is the most exciting part.
My role as program manager allows me to deploy business operations and people skills, while also being close to the research.
Annette Obika
Sara-Jane Dunn
Research Scientist, DeepMind
Sara-Jane Dunn is a domain expert offering expertise in biological programs.
How did your degree help with your career path?
My degree was in maths, and from lectures in mathematical biology, I found an area of maths that I thought could be applicable to real-world problems. That set me on a path to my PhD in computational biology, now I’m trying to see if we can use AI to make sense of the genome and how cells behave.
What’s the best thing about your job?
For me, we have a bold and visionary leadership, which is inspiring because when you have a culture set around going after really impactful projects, it’s a wonderful environment to work in. This top-down vision and passion for impact permeates throughout the organisation. People here are simultaneously brilliant, but also generous with their expertise and time.
Annette Obika
Program Manager, DeepMind
Annette Obika works with people, projects and processes to facilitate research and ensure teams work in the most efficient, collaborative and responsible way.
What are your key responsibilities?
I work with research scientists and engineers to turn ambitious research visions into tangible goals for the short, medium and long-term. I also manage day-to-day operations. Program managers glue everything together and make things work seamlessly.
What attracted you to this position?
I was always interested in people and my journey in higher education was pursuing my interests in psychology and business. My role as program manager allows me to deploy business operations and people skills, while also being close to the research and to help pursue science that will really shape society. It’s the best of both worlds.
