Technical Scientific, Engineering & Technical Assistant, ASCENT

Support Japan's research-to-commercialization pipeline by providing technical expertise and due diligence for an R&D acceleration program spanning AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.
- Conduct technical due diligence on proposals and ventures in AI, machine vision, and robotics; monitor milestone progress and flag technical risks.
- Facilitate knowledge exchange across the portfolio through site visits, demos, and peer reviews; support ecosystem mapping and competitive analysis.
- Serve as liaison between Japanese academic and industry stakeholders and ASCENT leadership; prepare technical summaries in Japanese and English.
- Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or related field with demonstrated expertise in AI, machine vision, robotics, or autonomous systems.
- Familiarity with Japan's research ecosystem (universities, JST, NEDO, startups) and experience in R&D program management or venture assessment required.

Renaissance Philanthropy is a nonprofit that aims to increase the ambition of philanthropists, scientists, and innovators by advising philanthropists, surfacing breakthrough ideas, and incubating ambitious initiatives.