Openings
We are currently “vibe hiring” for future team members 🚀
We are throwing out the standard checklist. There are no constraints on specific technical skills, publication counts, or whether you fit into a “PhD” or “postdoc” box. We value people over productivity or career stage. You are welcome to get in touch if you agree with our group values:
- Our group is grounded in kindness, and we strive to create an inclusive environment.
- We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination in any form.
- We value the importance of methodology development and coding practices.
- We honor the contributions of all group members.
- We ask for help and value direct communication (speaking > 20 sentences daily).
- We aim to tackle challenging scientific problems with a positive research mindset.
- We commit to acting with honesty and scientific integrity.
Contact: am3grouphiring@gmail.com
Please do NOT send application to the [nus.edu.sg] email address. It is hard for me to track your application materials. Thank you!
PhD Students:
Interested in pursuing a PhD in science? We recommend that you watch the Seminar Talk before application. The presentation from Prof. Silvija Gradecak is particularly inspiring. If you have a strong desire to pursue this path, please check the timeline and submit your application in the GDA3 system.
We are actively looking for PhD students. Openings are available for both Fall and Spring intake.
- B.S. or M.S. in physics/chemistry/computer science/materials science or related fields
- TOEFL ≥ 90 or IELTS ≥ 6.5. GPA ≥ 80%. GRE is optional but preferred.
- Please email (1) your CV and (2) a very short statement of research interests to am3grouphiring@gmail.com.
- The PhD positions are well-funded in our group. We do not accept self-financed students (including CSC scholarships).
- We always encourage excellent candidates to apply for PhD Fellowships:
- ASEAN Scholarship [please indicate; for students from ASEAN countries only]
- Commonwealth Scholarship [please indicate; for students from Commonwealth countries only]
- A*STAR Scholarship [with service commitments]
- AI Singapore Scholarship [with service commitments]
- President’s Graduate Fellowship (PGF) [by nomination]
- PGF can be submitted at any intake. Successful applicants usually have received PhD offers from US-Top20 institutions (or equivalent). If you are a competing offer holder and want to pursue a different journey at NUS, feel free to get in touch.
- Our research is highly interdisciplinary. If you have a strong academic record, please consider the ISEP PhD program at NUS. (You can apply both ISEP and MSE PhD programs). Please send me your CV and a research proposal abstract (< 200 words) and highlight how you would combine science and engineering, or theory and experiments.
-
Research Assistants (RA) are provided as financial support for PhD programs. We do not offer standalone RA or predoc intern positions.
- What we offer:
- We are a TechTeam-style group. We help each other and value direct communication.
- We focus on both method development and applications. We maintain close collaborations with experimental researchers.
- We encourage our graduate students to thrive in interdisciplinary research environments, find their interests, and develop their careers.
- We are committed to fostering a positive and supportive research environment.
Postdoctoral Fellows:
- If you have a strong interest in working with us, you are welcome to get in touch with a CV + research interest (Vibe Hiring).
- I apologize that I may not be able to respond to every email. If we do not have any openings, I will keep your materials on file and reach out if specific openings arise at a future date.
- Regardless of the above specific openings, we always encourage excellent candidates to apply for Postdoctoral Fellowships:
- As an independent research fellow, you will enjoy the research freedom while collaborating with the group.
- We particularly recommend the application for Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. Please (1) read the eligibility and requirements; (2) get in touch if you have the preferred qualifications & strong interests working on AI4Science.
- Other fellowships are potentially available to apply (e.g., Singapore NRF Postdoctoral Fellowship, LKY Fellowship and Presidential Fellowship).
Visiting Scholars:
- Please email Dr. Zhong directly to discuss (and indicate the funding resources for a visit > six months).
- Visiting PhD students with CSC scholarships are welcome. Approvals from PhD advisors must be obtained before applying.
- Final Year Project (FYP) students at NUS are welcome. Please email Dr. Zhong directly to discuss.
Preferred Qualifications
Related experience is preferred but not required (especially for PhD applicants):
- Solid foundation in thermodynamics & statistical mechanics, solid-state physics/chemistry, and/or quantum mechanics
- Practical experience with density functional theory calculations (e.g., VASP, Quantum Espresso, Q-Chem, PySCF)
- Proficiency in at least one mainstream deep learning framework (e.g., PyTorch, JAX)
- Proficiency in scientific computing with Python libraries
- Expertise in (atomistic) thermodynamic & kinetic simulations (e.g., Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics)
- Expertise in computational chemistry (e.g., rare-event sampling, reaction network, high-throughput computation)
- Expertise in computational physics (e.g., excited-states calculations, quantum transport simulations)
- Expertise in generative models for scientific applications (e.g., diffusion/flow/autoregressive models)
- Expertise in LLM-based agents for scientific applications (e.g., molecular design, decision making, synthesis planning)