Research Fellow (Autonomous Materials Discovery)

Nanyang Technological University; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, invites applications for a Research Fellow in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. The role focuses on integrating automated synthesis, robotic handling, electrochemical testing, and data acquisition into high-throughput workflows for advanced materials and battery research.

The successful candidate will develop autonomous laboratory platforms, collaborate with engineers and researchers, publish results, and contribute to grant proposals.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience in battery materials, electrochemistry, or materials synthesis.
• Experience and knowledge with robotic systems, high-throughput experimentation, or autonomous laboratory development.
• Demonstrated scientific productivity (peer-reviewed publications).
• Strong hands-on experimental and problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop, integrate, and troubleshoot automated research workflows.
• Good communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and operation of autonomous laboratory platforms for materials discovery.
• Conduct automated materials synthesis, characterization, electrochemical testing, and data analysis for battery systems.
• Participate in project planning, data collection and analysis to generate high-quality, reproducible research outcomes.
• Prepare manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals and contribute to grant proposals and research reports.
• Report on research progress and/or literature update in scheduled group meetings and individual meetings.
• Support the overall research mission of the lab by contributing to technology development, knowledge dissemination, and translational opportunities.

Skills

Robotic systems

High-throughput experiments

Autonomous lab development

Experimental troubleshooting

Education

PhD in Materials Science and Engineering

PhD in Chemical Engineering

PhD in Chemistry

Job description

The School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) provides a vibrant and nurturing environment for staff and students to carry out inter-disciplinary research in key areas such as Computational Materials Science, Characterisation Materials Science, Defense Composite Materials, Functional Composite Materials, Energy, Nanomaterials, Low Dimensional Materials, Biomaterials Materials, Biological Materials, Bioinspired Materials and Sustainable Materials. For more details, please view https://www.ntu.edu.sg/mse/research.

MLab is seeking a Research Fellow to support the development and establishment of a robotic and autonomous laboratory for accelerated materials discovery and battery research. The role will focus on assisting with the integration of automated materials synthesis, sample handling, characterization, electrochemical testing, and data acquisition into coordinated experimental workflows. The Research Fellow will contribute to the development of high-throughput and autonomous experimentation platforms, including robotic systems, laboratory automation, and AI/machine learning-assisted approaches for experimental design, optimization, and materials discovery.

The research will target advanced materials and interfaces for solid-state batteries, aqueous batteries, and other emerging energy-storage technologies. The successful candidate will work closely with senior researchers, engineers, software developers, and collaborators to establish automated experimental protocols, optimize materials synthesis and screening processes, develop reliable data pipelines, and integrate experimental results with data-driven and machine-learning models.

The role will also involve conducting materials synthesis and electrochemical studies, troubleshooting and improving automated workflows, analyzing research data, and contributing to research publications, technical reports, and project deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and operation of autonomous laboratory platforms for materials discovery.
• Conduct automated materials synthesis, characterization, electrochemical testing, and data analysis for battery systems.
• Participate in project planning, data collection and analysis to generate high-quality, reproducible research outcomes.
• Prepare manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals and contribute to grant proposals and research reports.
• Report on research progress and/or literature update in scheduled group meetings and individual meetings.
• Support the overall research mission of the lab by contributing to technology development, knowledge dissemination, and translational opportunities.

Job Requirements

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Research experience in battery materials, electrochemistry, or materials synthesis.
• Experience and knowledge with robotic systems, high-throughput experimentation, or autonomous laboratory development.
• Demonstrated scientific productivity (peer-reviewed publications).
• Strong hands-on experimental and problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop, integrate, and troubleshoot automated research workflows.
• Good communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Hiring Institution: NTU A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, established jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). Ranked amongst the world's top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world's top young university for the past seven years. The University's main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore's healthcare district. Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources. For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg

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