Lead AI Engineer - Volunteer Position
Public InventionAbout the role
Location: Remote
Minimum Commitment: Unpaid 6 hours per week
Reports To: Invention Coach Megan Cadena
About Public Invention
Public Invention is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting the creation of open-source inventions that make the world a better place.
We empower inventors, technologists, and students to publish, find, and collaborate on invention ideas through direct coaching, team formation, curation of work, publication, co-working/learning events, and in some cases material support.
We challenge the notion that inventions should be reserved for patents and profits. Rather, we invite fellow builders of the future to use their skills for a humanitarian purpose. We want to make the future better for everyone. To do this we remove, rather than add, legal barriers to the free use of our inventions. All work done with Public Invention is free and open to all under share-alike public licenses.
The Public Inventor of the future is not a lone genius but a person who is part of a community. We empower Public Invention Teams that embrace the interdisciplinary talents that combine to shape the future: inventiveness, design, writing, art, photography, engineering, administration, fundraising, and other skills we cannot predict. All of our work is in service to nurture humanitarian invention.
We invite you to join our team as an Inventor today!
Role Summary
Public Invention is looking for an experienced AI/ML engineer to volunteer as a technical mentor and lead for our classifier development efforts. You will guide the design and integration of classifiers into our browser-based diagnostic workbench, working closely with and mentoring a team of early-career computer scientists.
Relevant Links
Check out the Librecorder’s current design files and project stage through the links listed below.
Librecorder GitHub
Librecorder Project Page
What You’ll Do
Lead classifier development and its integration into the Librecorder workbench
Advise our team of younger developers on architecture, tooling, and industry best practices
Review and guide technical decisions around model design, testing, and deployment
Help shape the technical roadmap for classifier performance and integration with lab hardware (sensors, test equipment, open-source microscopes)
Serve as a mentor figure, helping less experienced engineers grow their skills through hands-on guidance
What You’ll Bring
Industry experience as an AI/ML or software engineer, ideally with applied classifier/ML systems experience
Genuine interest in mentoring early-career developers
Comfortable providing technical leadership in a volunteer, open-source context
Able to commit 6+ hours a week
Success Looks Like
Regular contributions to the Librecorder project and the development of an ML software for sample labeling and organization
The creation of an open-source website or distributable hardware that supports microscopy and data analysis for biological samples
Active participation and collaboration with the Librecorder team and mentors
A technical publication of the Librecorder project’s findings and development
Responsibilities
- Lead classifier development and its integration into the Librecorder workbench
- Advise younger developers on architecture, tooling, and industry best practices
- Review and guide technical decisions around model design, testing, and deployment
- Help shape the technical roadmap for classifier performance and integration with lab hardware
- Serve as a mentor figure for less experienced engineers
Qualifications
- Industry experience as an AI/ML or software engineer
- Experience with applied classifier/ML systems
- Genuine interest in mentoring early-career developers
- Comfortable providing technical leadership in a volunteer, open-source context
- Able to commit 6+ hours a week
Benefits
- Opportunity to contribute to open-source projects
- Mentorship experience
- Collaboration with a team of developers
Skills mentioned
About Public Invention
Public Invention is an open-source engineering and scientific initiative dedicated to creating practical technologies that address real-world human needs. Its mission centers on developing freely accessible designs for tools, devices, systems, and methods that can improve quality of life, particularly in areas where proprietary technology is inaccessible, expensive, or impractical. At its core, Public Invention operates on the philosophy that innovation should be collaborative, transparent, and broadly accessible. Instead of concentrating innovation in proprietary environments, the organization promotes open development models similar to those used in open-source software. These models allow engineers, scientists, makers, programmers, designers, and subject-matter experts to collaborate across disciplines to create technologies that serve the public good. Public Invention projects are structured around practical problem-solving. Rather than focusing solely on theoretical research, most initiatives aim to create buildable, testable, and deployable solutions. The projects span a wide range of domains, including healthcare, energy, sanitation, agriculture, machines, computation, art, and scientific instrumentation. Each project includes defined skills, levels of difficulty, and status categories that help volunteers identify ways to contribute effectively. These projects are typically shared publicly through repositories such as GitHub, allowing contributors from around the world to participate. The open-source nature of these projects also enables reuse, modification, and improvement by other groups, thereby accelerating innovation. The breadth of Public Invention’s project list demonstrates its commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration and practical impact.