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Join the SUMMIT Research Group – NUS Mechanical Engineering

The Sustainable and Multifunctional Metamaterials for Industrial Technologies (SUMMIT) Research Group led by Dr. James Surjadi at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is interested in developing sustainable, robust, and multifunctional metamaterial systems to solve global challenges. Our research takes an interdisciplinary approach that bridges materials science, mechanics, and advanced manufacturing, combining materials innovation with mechanics-driven design to create multifunctional systems that retain high performance under extreme conditions. These efforts span the full innovation pipeline, from AI-driven metamaterial design exploiting fundamental mechanics and materials science, to scalable fabrication, multiscale testing, and integration into functional systems.

We have immediate openings for highly motivated postdoctoral researchers and prospective PhD students (fully funded) who are interested in working on mechanical metamaterials. NUS also offers a range of prestigious fellowship programs for PhD students, providing competitive stipends and benefits. More information can be found here. 

Research Focus Areas:

• Design of adaptive, tough, and multifunctional metamaterials

• Sustainable and scalable nanomanufacturing

• Multiscale and multimodal characterization under extreme mechanical, thermal, or chemical conditions

• Integration of metamaterials into multifunctional devices

• Application of AI-driven modeling and optimization for materials design
  
  

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• PhD (for postdocs) or strong undergraduate/graduate background (for PhD applicants) in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Robotics, Chemistry, Applied Physics, or related fields

• Interest or experience in mechanical metamaterials, mechanics of materials, additive manufacturing, finite element modeling, AI-driven design, material synthesis, nanomechanics, or experimental characterization

• Highly motivated, collaborative, and able to work in an interdisciplinary research environment

• Excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written)
  
  

How to Apply:

Please submit a (1) CV and (2) a brief cover letter (1-page) describing your research interests to jsurjadi@mit.edu.

Subject line:

• For PhD applicants: “PhD Application – SUMMIT Group”

• For Postdoc applicants: “Postdoc Application – SUMMIT Group”

We welcome talented and motivated researchers who are passionate about developing sustainable, high-performance metamaterials that can make a real-world impact.