NB: We wish to receive your application. However, it is imperative that applicants possess a well-defined and resolute career goal pertaining to the pursuit of a Ph.D. degree or postdoc fellowship in computational materials science. If uncertainty clouds your future aspirations or the rationale behind venturing into doctoral/postdoc research studies in this field, we advise against reaching out to us at this time. Experience has shown that candidates with ambiguous career goals may encounter challenges even after enrollment. While we celebrate numerous success stories, we have also learned valuable lessons from instances where unclear objectives led to unfavorable outcomes. Therefore, we encourage prospective applicants to reflect on their motivations and goals before engaging with our research group. In our research group, all the time, we Expect Victory by Hard and Smart Working Without Dramma.
Overall, if you want to set yourself up for a career where your work as a scientist is recognized and respected, our lab will facilitate that. Nonetheless, it will be challenging. If you want to enter the PhD program simply for the title, this lab may not be the best for you.
Please note, due to a large amount of inquiring emails every day, we only reply to the candidates that we see as a good fit. Importantly, We always keep every application even if we do not have an immediate opening, and will contact the candidate once the position becomes available. It is essential to know that we expect the applicants to submit ALL transcripts, CV, and a cover letter when you contact us, otherwise, we may disregard the application.
About UW-Madison: UW-Madison is ranked among the top 10 public schools (38 among all national universities) in the United States by US News. In the 2021 QS World University Rankings, UW-Madison was ranked 65th in the world. The 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed UW-Madison 58th worldwide, based primarily on surveys administered to students, faculty, and recruiters. For 2021, UW-Madison was ranked tied for 41st by U.S. News & World Report among global universities. UW-Madison was ranked 31st among world universities in 2021 by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, which assesses academic and research performance. For the second year in a row, Madison has been identified as one of the best places to live throughout the United States, according to research and data compiled from Livability, coming in at the top spot. Overall, UW-Madison is an excellent place for research, and Madison is a wonderful city to live in. Please check out these videos (Why UW-Madison, Madison).
In short, UW-Madison is a top-ranked research institution located on the south shore of Lake Mendota. According to an article in Nature, UW-Madison is ranked as No.4 among U.S. universities in terms of producing faculty in the past decade. In the 2023 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools”, our ME program is ranked 14th (five-way tie) nationwide.
Postdoc Open Positions
Postdoc positions with financial support (up to 3 years) are immediately available in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison).
Required Degree:
Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics, Chemical, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering, Material Science, Condense Matter Physics, or Computational Chemistry.
Required Skills:
- Micromechanics modeling: sufficient familiarity with lower scale methods to take advantage of emergent phenomena accessible from molecular dynamic simulations and coarse-grained techniques
- Broad knowledge of Computational Material and Polymer Physics
- Extensive experience in multiscale modeling which should include the integration of Molecular Dynamic Simulation, Coarse-grained modeling, and Continuum Mechanics
- Experience conducting computational analysis in multi-physics context
- Polymer Physics — Solid-state mechanics
- Knowledge of constitutive models for polymers or their composites
Preferred Optional Qualifications:
- Polymer Physics — thermodynamics and statistical mechanics
- Experience with the software on massively parallel computer systems (such as LAMMPS, GROMACS)
- Applied Math, Applied Physics, Computational Sciences: optimization, numerical analysis, numerical linear algebra
- Familiarity with MATLAB, Python, C++, or other scripting languages
- Ability to work independently and multi-task effectively
- Demonstrate understanding of projects from both technical and end-user perspectives
- Excellent communication skills; ability to understand and synthesize researcher’s experimental data
- Flexible and willing to adapt to changes in priorities as necessary in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
- Demonstrated leadership abilities and team player attitude, as well as the ability to accomplish tasks independently under minimal direction and supervision
- Willing to learn new technologies
- Strong attention to detail
- Machine Learning experience would be a major plus
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, two-page research statement, CV, 3 representative publications, and the contact information of at least three professional references to Dr. Ying Li at yli2562(.at.)wisc.edu.
Ph.D. Open Positions
Ph.D. positions with financial support in the form of research assistant/teaching assistant are available in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison).
This specific position is offered by the Laboratory of Polymer Digital Engineering in the department. GOAL of Research Lab: Multiscale and multi-physics modeling to computationally design advanced polymeric materials, with emphasis on energy absorption, sustainable energy solution, and biomedical application, to provide scientific insights into their synthesis-structure-property relationships. The research team will focus on the development of novel computational methods with data-driven techniques and apply these methods for extremely large-scale simulations to access the experimentally unapproachable phenomena.
Required Qualifications:
- B.S. in Engineering Mechanics, Civil Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related area. MS with project experience and good publication is a plus.
- Programming skills in MATLAB, Fortran, C/C++, or Python. Experience in parallel computing is a plus.
- Experience in running molecular dynamics simulations and finite element analysis.
- Broad knowledge of computational material science and polymer physics will be a plus.
Interested candidates should send a CV, transcripts, TOEFL/GRE scores, and the contact information of at least three professional references to Dr. Ying Li at yli2562 (.at.) wisc.edu.
Undergraduate Research Assistant Positions
Undergraduate students looking for research opportunities for pay or credit are encouraged to directly reach out to graduate students and postdocs in the group whose interests match their own. You can also email yli2562(.at.)wisc.edu with your interests and any relevant coursework or research experience. However, please keep in mind that I may receive dozens of such inquiries each day, and so I am in general unable to reply to every message. Undergraduate research continues to be one of the most compelling examples of the Wisconsin Experience and often a defining experience for our students. Our success in involving and supporting undergraduates in collaborative research and service learning helps foster dynamic and meaningful intellectual, personal, and professional growth. The following scholarships and fellowships continue to be available to encourage and support this work.
Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships and Holstrom Environmental Research Fellowships support undergraduate research done in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff during summer 2024 or the 2024-25 academic year. The student researcher receives $3,000, and the faculty/staff research advisor receives $1,000 to help offset research costs. Students must have at least junior standing at the time of application. The Holstrom Fellowships require an environmental focus. Apply by February 14, 2024.
Sophomore Research Fellowships support undergraduate research done in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff during summer 2024 or the 2024-25 academic year. The student researcher receives $2,500, and the faculty/staff research advisor receives $500 to help offset research costs. At the time of application, the student must be a second-year undergraduate, a first-year undergraduate who will have more than 24 credits after May 2024, or a transfer student in their first year of attendance at UW–Madison. Apply by February 26, 2024.
Lakeshore Nature Preserve Student Engagement Grants of up to $1000 each are available to facilitate the use of the Preserve as a resource for education among UW undergraduates. Any student, faculty, or staff member at the UW-Madison may apply. Groups of individuals may submit a proposal as a team. Every individual or team must have at least one faculty or staff member, who is expected to play an active role in overseeing the project. Apply by March 1, 2024. Funds should be expended by October 31, 2024 when a final report is due.
Public Humanities Exchange for Undergraduates (HEX-U) is a high-impact program for undergraduate students that funds humanities-based projects that support a need in the Madison community beyond the university. The program provides training in community partnership, support for project development and implementation, and funding. Participating students receive a $600 stipend award and up to $2,000 in project funding. Students are encouraged to propose new, innovative ideas for engagement with the local community through a project. Apply for the spring 2024 cohort by February 12, and the fall 2024 cohort by March 18.
Wisconsin Idea Fellowships are awarded annually to undergraduate student projects that address a challenge identified along with a local or global community partner. Fellowships are awarded to semester-long or year-long projects designed by an undergraduate student (or group of students) in collaboration with a community advisor at a community organization and a UW–Madison faculty or academic staff member. Projects can receive up to $7,000 in total funding, and students receive 3 academic credits. Apply for 2024-25 fellowships by February 12, 2024. There is a priority deadline of January 29, 2024 for applicants seeking proposal feedback from the Wisconsin Idea Fellowship Advisor.