An open position at Rice, Assistant or Associate Professor of Advanced Computational Materials

The Rice Advanced Materials Institute has an open search in the area of computational materials.   The full position posting is here.  Please spread the word!

The brief description:  

The Rice Advanced Materials Institute (RAMI) at Rice University, located in Houston TX, seeks applications for tenure-track Assistant and/or Associate Professor position in the area of advanced computational and/or applied artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-informed materials research with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027. RAMI, working in conjunction with the Schools of Engineering and Computing and Natural Sciences and the Departments therein, seeks applicants from diverse backgrounds for potential tenure-track faculty positions in Departments to be determined by the best natural fit and input of the candidate (e.g., potential departments could include, but not be limited to, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Physics and Astronomy). More experienced candidates nearing the transition to or having already recently transitioned to the Associate Professor level and conducting transformative research projects will be considered. 

 

We seek outstanding candidates with research interests in theoretical, computational, modeling, and/or simulation of materials science (and related fields) and the application of advanced AI and ML approaches to accelerate, improve, or revolutionize the same. Research spanning all of aspects of materials including soft/hard matter, inorganic/organic materials, etc. is welcomed, as long as that research maps significantly to one or more of the RAMI core research areas, including: 

 

• Next-generation Electronics/Photonics – Developing materials to enable a new paradigm in microelectronics ranging from memory/logic to communications to sensors and beyond, with a focus on low-power/voltage function.

• Energy Materials (Systems) – Developing materials innovations to transform energy storage and conversion/harvesting.

• Materials for the Environment – Developing materials innovations to assure responsible use of natural resources and long-term stewardship of our air, soil, and water resources.

This effort is being initiated through RAMI, a campus-wide institute with the goal of expanding Rice’s already strong efforts in materials research across many departments in science and engineering. RAMI includes >70 current faculty members working on a wide array of research that overlap with RAMI’s core research focus areas. Rice considers efforts to bolster these areas as a focal point of materials research in the coming years.

 

The selected candidates will be expected to teach and develop undergraduate and graduate courses within their expertise and home department; perform high-quality research in their specialized area and present findings from their research in peer-reviewed publications and conferences; establish a strong research program supported by extramural funding; be involved in service to the university and broader scientific community; and collaborate with faculty in diverse disciplines. Successful candidates will have a strong commitment to teaching, advising, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds. 

Applications will be reviewed in a rolling fashion but should be received by 11:59 PM (eastern time) on January 4, 2026. Applications received after this deadline will be considered as they arrive and until the position is filled.