Become an ARIA Programme Director
Register your interest to join our third cohort of Programme Directors
Join our third cohort of Programme Directors
Applications will open in August 2026 for a May 2027 start date. Register your interest so you can be the first to hear updates on the application process.
What does it mean to be an ARIA Programme Director?
ARIA’s opportunity spaces represent areas where we believe transformative breakthroughs may be possible, and where we are already building momentum through the work of our current Programme Directors and their funded portfolios.
As an ARIA Programme Director, you will design and lead an ambitious, multi-year R&D programme within or around these spaces. With a budget of ~£50M, you will select, fund, and actively steer a diverse project portfolio that cuts across disciplines and institutions towards a focused goal that will unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone.
In return, ARIA will empower you to think bigger and more creatively, and unleash your vision for transformative change. We’ll provide a bespoke support structure around you, including a dedicated technical and operational team. Your programme team will help you design, launch, and manage your programme, from inception to activation and beyond.
We will leverage our networks in the UK and abroad to advance your programme’s goals and build communities centred around its vision. You’ll have access to the communities built by our current Programme Directors and our Activation Partners – who are driving translational activities to help catalyse entrepreneurial talent and venture creation across ARIA’s opportunity spaces.
Who you are
There’s no one way to be an ARIA Programme Director; we want to hear from people of all career backgrounds and stages with the ability to demonstrate that:
- You’re intrinsically motivated to have an outsized impact on the world and solve a big, meaningful problem.
- You’re deeply technical in at least one field, but open to exploring others.
- You have experience of taking a scientific/technical vision from idea to execution – that might look like running your own research lab or building your own start-up.
- You’re comfortable with uncertainty and thrive in highly dynamic, high-stakes situations.
- You are a proven leader who can inspire and unite others towards ambitious goals (through both traditional and non-traditional means), confidently handle hard conversations and make difficult decisions.
- You have a high level of belief and conviction in your own ideas, whilst remaining highly collaborative and receptive to feedback.
- Your superpower is seeing opportunity and possibility where others wouldn't.
- You’re able to spend your time in the UK, and show intense commitment to ARIA and public service.
- You have an idea of what problem you want to solve and conviction in a set of beliefs (but you don’t have to have a fully baked vision).
If any of this resonates with you, we'd love to hear from you.
Note: ARIA is globally-minded in its reach and can support Programme Directors through the UK Global Talent visa.
Engage with us
Over the coming months we’ll be running webinars and events across the UK, Europe, the US and Asia where you’ll get the chance to engage directly with the ARIA team and learn more about the Programme Director role.
Sign up to be the first to hear about our events and receive updates and insights on the application process.
Programme Directors
Our 16 Programme Directors come from a range of backgrounds, including academia, entrepreneurship, invention and industry.
Opportunity spaces
From visions for hypersensory intelligence to a world of sustainable abundance, our opportunity spaces are critically important but underexplored areas of research that are ripe for high-impact R&D.