TOPPostdoctoral Fellow Positions

Postdoctoral Fellow Positions

The International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2) at Hiroshima University is currently accepting applications for Postdoctoral Fellows.

We encourage applications from candidates across diverse disciplines who are interested in conducting research on topics related to topology and/or chirality primarily within the center’s focus areas (see the full list in the following section). Postdoctoral researchers are strongly encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary fusion research and will have the opportunity to collaborate with multiple WPI-SKCM2 mentors.

Applicants with a background in the following areas would be ideal candidates:

(1) Quantum Matter

(2) Particle/Nuclear Physics & Cosmology

(3) Soft Matter and Chemical & Biological systems

(4) Pure and Applied Math

Research Areas

We invite applications from researchers in the following fields:

Quantum Matter

  • Experimental or theoretical studies of topological structures in real and momentum space and their roles in condensed matter properties. We are particularly interested in researchers specializing in topological structures in momentum space.
  • Synthesis of novel chiral magnet molecules and experimental or theoretical characterization of topological magnetic solitons in chiral magnets.

Particle & Nuclear Physics, Cosmology

  • Experimental or theoretical research in:
    • Novel states of matter under extreme conditions
    • The origin of mass
    • Physical properties of neutron star interiors
    • New theories beyond the Standard Model
  • Applicants engaged in theoretical research should be proficient in at least two of the following areas: topology, chiral effective theory, hadrons, lattice gauge theory, and relativistic hydrodynamics.
  • Experimental researchers should demonstrate a strong commitment to and enthusiasm for high-energy nuclear experimental physics.

Soft Matter, Chemical & Biological Systems

Soft Matter

  • Experimental or theoretical research on topological solitons in liquid crystals and topological defects induced by chiral colloids in liquid crystals.
  • Preferred expertise includes nonlinear optical systems, microscopic imaging, and optical tweezers.

Supramolecular Chemistry

  • Research in organic synthesis, topological molecules, polymer chemistry, suprapolymers, and supramolecular liquid crystals.

Earth & Planetary Sciences

  • Materials research on naturally occurring substances on Earth and in space
  • Colloid geochemistry
  • Geophysical fluid dynamics
  • Multi-scale chirality

Biophysics

  • Experimental or theoretical analyses of knotoid structures in proteins and protein condensates formed through liquid-liquid phase separation.
  • Applicants for experimental research should have a strong foundation in biochemical techniques, including gene manipulation and protein purification.
  • Candidates for theoretical research should have experience in molecular dynamics simulations, either in coarse-grained or all-atom models.
  • Applicants with expertise in big data analysis, such as proteomics data analysis, are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Mathematics & Applied Mathematics

Mathematical Physics

  • Theoretical research on topological solitons, particularly skyrmions and hopfions, across various fields, including elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, cosmology, chemistry, biology, and mathematics.

Pure Mathematics

  • Topology

Applied Mathematics

  • Mathematical modeling, knot and knotoid theories, periodic tangles, topological defects, and topological data analysis.

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 The Institute of Technology Tokyo, 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. WPI-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.

About WPI-SKCM2

As a research center under the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) of the Japanese government, our mission at WPI-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. 

As a WPI research center, WPI-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. WPI-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

All application documents should be uploaded to AcademicJobsOnline.org (registration required): https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/27708

Required documents & Contact

  • ・ Cover letter (including the name(s) of PI(s) you wish to work with. See list here)
  • ・ Curriculum vitae (including email address and citizenship)
  • ・ A list of publications
  • ・ A list 3 references with contact information (please include email and phone information)

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Email inquiries regarding the application process may be directed to chiral_at_office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp. 

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