PhD and Postdoc Open Positions in Polymer Modeling at University of Connecticut

PhD Open Positions

PhD positions with financial support in the form of research assistant/teaching assistant are available in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut (UConn).

This specific position is offered by the laboratory of computational material design in the department. GOAL of Research Lab: Multiscale and multiphysics modeling to computationally design advanced polymeric materials, with emphasis on energy absorption, sustainable energy solution and biomedical application, to provide scientific insights into their chemistry-structure-property-performance relationships. The research team will focus on the development of novel computational methods and apply these methods for extra-large scale simulations to access the experimentally unapproachable phenomena.

Required Qualifications:

§  A BS 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.

About UConn: UConn is ranked among top 20 public schools in United States. The University campus is located in a beautiful area of New England, with a moderate cost of living and proximity to major cultural, recreational and urban centers of the Northeast. The University community affords residents a rich diversity of cultural, athletic, artistic and historic experiences; affordable quality housing and top schools for students and their families.

PI’s info: Prof. Ying Li received his PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University in 2015, where he was working with Professor Wing Kam Liu on developing novel multiscale modeling methods for designing new materials and material systems, with an emphasize on soft materials and their biological responses. He joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, as an assistant professor in August 2015. He has first authored and co-authored over 70 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, such as Physical Review Letters, Biomaterials, Nanoscale, Macromolecules, Soft Matter, Polymer and Journal Mechanics and Physics of Solids, with more than 1400 citations (H-index 22). In the past few years, he has received numerous awards and scholarships, including IIN Outstanding Researcher Award, Ryan Fellowship and Predictive Science & Engineering Design Fellowship. He has been invited as reviewer for more than 50 international journals, such as Nature Communications, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, Carbon, Macromolecules, Journal of Physical Chemistry, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Nanoscale, Chemical Communications and Nanomedicine, and Journal Mechanics and Physics of Solids.

Prof. Li’s full publication list can be accessed at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FgYIdZwAAAAJ&hl=en

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 ying.3.li@uconn.edu.

Postdoc Open Position

One postdoc position with financial support (about $40,000 to $50,000 per year) is immediately available in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut (UConn).

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-grain techniques

•        Broad knowledge of Computational Material and Polymer Physics

•        Extensive experience in multiscale modeling which should include the integration of Molecular Dynamic Simulation, Coarse-grain 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 software on massively parallel computer systems (such as LAMMPS)

•        Applied Math, Applied Physics, Computational Sciences: optimization, numerical analysis, numerical linear algebra

•        Familiarity with MATLAB, R, Python 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 CV, 3 representative publications and the contact information of at least three professional references to Dr. Ying Li at ying.3.li@uconn.edu.