Research Engineer, Surface Remanufacturing Technology Group (Laser Material Processing), SIMTech

A*STAR RESEARCH ENTITIES; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR RESEARCH ENTITIES, within the Surface Remanufacturing Technology (SRT) Group at SIMTech / A*STAR, invites applications for a researcher to execute and support laser material processing research, including laser surface texturing, cleaning, micromachining, peening and deposition.

You will support characterization work (optical microscope and SEM), data analysis, and oversee day-to-day activities such as procurement, equipment maintenance and lab supervision as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Surface Engineering or related field.
• Strong foundation in optics and light properties, materials and microstructure, surface properties and composition, thermodynamics and heat transfer.
• Experience in experimental design, hypothesis testing, experiments, data collection and analysis.
• Experience with material characterisation tools: microscopy (optical, SEM), wear and hardness testing.
• Good communication skills and ability to work in a team.

Responsibilities

• Support and execute R&D efforts in laser material processing.
• Conduct experimental trials; optimise process parameters to meet functional requirements.
• Perform materials and microstructural characterization: sample prep, microscopy, surface energy measurements, hardness testing.
• Troubleshoot and improve process stability, texture uniformity, reproducibility, and scalability; address failure modes.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and industrial partners for technology transfer.
• Stay up to date on emerging laser processing technologies and contribute to evaluation and incorporation of new techniques.

Skills

Optics foundations

Materials microstructure

Surface properties

Thermodynamics & heat transfer

Experimental design & data analysis

Materials characterization tools

Microscopy (optical/SEM)

Hardness & wear testing

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science/Mechanical Engineering/Surface Engineering or related field

Tools

Autocad/Creo

RStudio

LabVIEW

Job description

Location: Singapore
Group: Surface Remanufacturing Technology (SRT), SIMTech / A*STAR

About the Group

The Surface Remanufacturing Technology (SRT) Group at SIMTech develops advanced surface engineering, coating, and finishing technologies for industrial applications. Projects are often industry-driven or competitively funded, involving both fundamental R&D and translation into practical, production-scale processes.

Role Summary

You will execute and support research in laser material processing, ranging from laser surface texturing, laser cleaning, laser micro-machining, laser peening, and laser metal deposition. The role will also involve supporting characterization work, such as optical microscope and SEM imaging, sample preparation, residual stress and fatigue life measurement, analyzing of data and compilation, and overseeing other day-to-day activities such as procurement, equipment maintenance and laboratory supervision as required.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and execute R&D efforts in laser material processing.
• Conduct experimental trials; optimise process parameters to meet functional requirements (wear resistance, water affinity, surface hardness and roughness etc.).
• Perform materials and microstructural characterisation: sample preparation (sectioning, mounting, polishing, etc.), microscopy (optical, SEM), surface energy measurements, hardness / mechanical testing, etc.
• Troubleshoot and improve process stability, texture uniformity, reproducibility, and scalability; understand failure modes and address issues.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (materials scientists, mechanical engineers, surface metrology experts) and with industrial partners for technology transfer.
• Stay up to date on emerging laser processing technologies and contribute to the evaluation and incorporation of new techniques (e.g. novel optics, process monitoring and control, simulation and modelling, machine learning).

Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Surface Engineering, or a related field.
• Good foundation in optics and light properties, materials and microstructure, surface properties and composition, thermodynamics and heat transfer
• Good understanding of experimental design, such as making reasonable hypotheses, crafting experiments and optimising process parameters, collecting and data analysis and compilation
• Experienced in material characterisation tools: microscopy (optical, SEM), wear testing, hardness testing, etc.
• Good communication skills, able to work well with others, able to articulate one’s thoughts and present one's work, motivated and hardworking

Desirable:

• Knowledge of post-processes (surface chemical grafting, surface passivation, coating overlay).
• Knowledge in python or other machine learning languages; experience in software such as Autocad/Creo, Rstudio, Labview etc.
• Project management experience; ability to guide junior researchers / engineers / lab officers