Research Fellow (Materials Science/Biomass/Biomaterials)

Nanyang Technological University; Singapore; On-site; SGD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The School of Materials Science and Engineering at NTU Singapore seeks a Research Fellow to advance a project funded by the Singapore Food Agency focused on sustainable growing media for urban farming. The role emphasizes design, fabrication, and characterization of porous media to control nutrient release and support soil- and hydroponic-based cultures.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD in a related field and have a track record in biomaterials and materials characterization.

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Biomaterials or related fields.
• Strong research record (publications, grants, patents).
• Experience in biomaterials, recycling of biomass, functionalization, and characterization.

Responsibilities

• Conduct literature reviews and provide periodic updates.
• Synthesize, functionalize, and characterize porous materials.
• Carry out assays to assess degradation and nutrient release kinetics.
• Correlate material properties with plant growth performance.
• Develop scale-up strategies and collaborate with farms and industry partners.
• Supervise junior researchers and manage lab inventory.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary collaboration and report progress.

Skills

Literature reviews

Communication

Project management

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in Materials Science or related

Tools

SEM

XRD

DLS

FTIR

TGA/DSC

ICP-MS

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, Defence 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. We are looking for a Research Fellow to join a project funded by Singapore Food Agency (SFA) under Singapore Food Story (SFS) R&D Programme 2.0, focusing on the development of sustainable growing media for urban farming applications. The RF will join a multidisciplinary research team in efforts to develop a sustainable growing media that can deliver nutrients under control in soil- and hydroponics- based cultures. The role will focus on contributing to the design, fabrication, and characterization of this novel growing media, with an emphasis on understanding structure-property relationships and their impact on agricultural performance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct thorough literature reviews and generate periodic updates
• Synthesize, functionalize, and characterize porous materials (e.g. SEM, XRD, DLS, FTIR, TGA/DSC, MTS, ICP-MS, etc.)
• Carry out assays and analysis to understand degradation and nutrient release kinetics of the platform
• Correlate material properties, nutrients release with plant growth performance through measurement of seed germination, seedling development, crop yields and nutritional profile of the plants
• Develop scale-up strategies and collaborate with local/overseas farms and industry partners for large scale trials and industrial production
• Supervise junior research staff, undergraduate and graduate student projects
• Manage logistical issues and laboratory inventory
• Coordinate collaborative work within multidisciplinary team and external collaborators
• Generate periodic progress report as required by funding agency
• Report and manuscript writing

Job Requirements:

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Biomaterials or related fields
• Experience in biomaterials, recycling of biomass, functionalization, and characterization preferred (e.g. SEM, XRD, DLS, FTIR, TGA/DSC, ICP-MS, etc.)
• A strong track record of research ability and demonstrated contribution to research (e.g., research publications, grant applications, patents) required
• Experience in agriculture research preferred
• Experience in hydrogels, aerogels, or porous materials preferred
• Good communication and writing skills
• Good coordination/project management skills
• Able to plan and execute experiments with minimal supervision
• Able to take initiative to improve processes and troubleshoot problems
• Able to organize well and adhere to deadlines

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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