Postdoctoral Fellow Positions

The International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2 ) at Hiroshima University is currently accepting applications for Postdoctoral Fellows. We encourage applications from candidates across diverse disciplines who have an interest in conducting research on topics related to the center, such as metamaterials, knot theory, topological solitons, chirality, soft matter, magnets, colloids, polymers, quantum materials, biomaterials, proteins, active matter, origins of life, energy efficiency and others. As a research center under the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)  of the Japanese government, our mission at SKCM2  develops a new interdisciplinary research paradigm known as "knotted chiral meta matter" (KCM2 ). Our team of researchers cross-pollinates topology and chirality knowledge across disciplines and scales. One key goal includes the creation of designable artificial knot-like particles that exhibit highly unusual and technologically useful properties, which will both deepen our understanding of natural phenomena as well as be useful for technological innovation to solve global problems, such as the growing energy demand and climate change. 

About the Role 

Our Postdoctoral Fellow positions typically run for three years with the potential for a 2-year extension based on job performance, funding availability, and ongoing operational needs. Each postdoc will have a primary mentor and two co-mentors from different fields and/or countries and will have a chance to visit our center’s other domestic and international nodes for research collaborations. The research exchanges are opportunities to collaborate with many faculty mentors, which are located at institutions such as Tokyo Tech, MIT, RIKEN, Cambridge University, and CU-Boulder. Potential mentors and the corresponding institutions, in addition to the ones at Hiroshima University, can be found here . 

Salaries are competitive, comparable to those at other prestigious international institutions. SKCM2  will allocate additional funds to support travel of postdoctoral fellows to international nodes of our WPI, as well as to conferences and summer/winter schools organized by our WPI. 

As a WPI research center, SKCM2  intends to establish a stimulating international research environment where about 50% of researchers are non-Japanese, with English being the official language within the WPI Center. SKCM2  is committed to diversity and equal opportunity. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals from all over the World, including women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, or gender identity, etc.  

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in mathematics; physical, chemical, or biological sciences; engineering; or related fields. 
• Strong record of academic publishing 
• Interest in interdisciplinary research that contributes to sustainability 
• Proficiency in English 

Required documents 

• Cover letter (including the names of three PIs you wish to work with. See list here ) 
• Curriculum vitae (including email address and citizenship) 
• A list of publications 
• 3 letters of reference (to be submitted via each reference writer on AcademicJobsOnline.org)
• All application documents should be uploaded here: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/24954