Postdoctoral Fellow - Frontier of AI driven Inverse Design of Functional Materials

School of Interdisciplinary Studies

(Post Ref.: 25/176)

Professor Xi Chen, Dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Chair Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, leads an interdisciplinary team working at the frontier of AI driven inverse design of functional materials. Current research directions include:

• Reversible material representation methods for accelerated inverse design
• Large language, diffusion & graph neural models for materials discovery
• Fine tuning and architecture optimisation of foundation models
• Inverse design of next generation functional materials (e.g. energy, sustainability)

The group partners closely with leading institutes in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and worldwide, offering an exciting, collaborative research environment. The appointee will work as part of the team. This involves (1) conducting independent and collaborative research leading to publications in top tier journals and conferences; (2) contributing to grant proposal writing and collaborative projects; and (3) mentoring junior researchers and assisting with laboratory management.

Requirements

The candidate should have obtained / been conferred a PhD degree or an equivalent qualification in Materials Science, Mechanical / Applied Mechanics, Physics, Computer Science, Data Science, or a closely related field for no more than three years prior to the commencement of the appointment. The candidates should have a strong track record in at least one of the group’s research areas, preferably demonstrated by publications in high-impact venues. Experience with machine learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX) and / or computational materials methods is essential. Additionally, the candidate should possess an excellent command of written and spoken English and demonstrate the ability to work independently as well as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Appointment

The conditions of appointment will be competitive. Commencing salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits include annual leave, medical and dental benefits, mandatory provident fund, gratuity, and incoming passage and baggage allowance for the eligible appointee. The appointment will normally be made on an initial contract of up to two years.

Application Procedure (online application only)

Please click "Apply Now" to submit your application. Personal data collected will be used for recruitment purposes only. We are an equal opportunities employer. The review of applications will start and continue until the post is filled. Qualified candidates are advised to submit their applications early for consideration. The University reserves the right not to make an appointment for the post advertised, or to fill the post by invitation or by search. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.