2026.10.30

Postdoctoral Research Fellow　– Computational Materials Science and Data Science Studies of Solid-State Battery Materials

Fixed Term：Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials (GREEN), Solid-State Battery Group

#Fixed Term#Researcher

Field or Position	Postdoctoral Research Fellow　– Computational Materials Science and Data Science Studies of Solid-State Battery Materials
Number of Positions	1名
Affiliation	Solid-State Battery Group Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials (GREEN)
Work Description	The successful candidate will conduct interdisciplinary research related to computational materials science, solid-state electrochemistry, and data science, with the overarching goal of accelerating design, understanding, and optimization of advanced materials for next-generation solid-state batteries. The primary goal is to develop and apply computational and data-driven methodologies to design battery materials (solid electrolytes, electrodes) and elucidate the fundamental mechanisms governing material properties such as thermodynamic stability, (electro)chemical stability and ionic conductivity at bulk and interfaces. The candidate will contribute to the development of reproducible computational workflows, curated materials databases and machine learning models that can guide experiments. The candidate will also collaborate with co-researchers to jointly contribute to the research activities, actively engage in research discussion in the group and with collaborators, prepare manuscripts for submission to high-quality peer-reviewed journals and present results at scientific conferences.
Scope of Work Description Change	Duties are subject to change within the scope of the Employee’s position.
Qualification	A PhD holder in computational materials science, materials science and engineering, computational chemistry, physics or a closely related field, completed by the start of employment. Demonstrated research experience with first-principles density functional theory calculations for studying the structural, electronic, electrochemical and ion transport properties of battery materials. Demonstrated research experience with more than one of the following atomistic simulation approaches: molecular dynamics method, explicit interface structure modeling, thermodynamic calculations, classical force-fields, and simulations using machine learning interatomic potentials. Demonstrated research experience with machine learning methods, statistical analysis techniques and data (pre)processing. Strong ability in scientific Python programming and practical experience with machine-learning frameworks. Strong English communication skills, both written and spoken. Japanese communication skill is also desirable (but not required). A demonstrated record of publishing research in high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with co-researchers, contribute to multidisciplinary research, and carry out research responsibly and independently.
Starting Date	After 16 Dec 2026 (negotiable)
Term	One year from the employment date. Renewal is possible thereafter (subject to review based on performance, research progress, work attitude, and fund availability).
Contract Renewal Criteria / Maximum Employment Period	Renewal of the contract will be determined based on work performance, work attitude, progress of the work engaged in, workload at the end of the contract period, budget situation, and other factors. The maximum employment period shall not exceed five (5) years. This may be subject to change because of amendments to the Working Regulations.
Work Place	National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki-Site (Tsukuba City, Ibaraki)
Scope of Work Location Changes	The scope of the change of place of work shall be limited to each of the Employer’s site, as well as other locations separately approved by the Employer.
Work Hours	7 hours 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Break time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Deemed working hours when the discretionary labor system is applied are 8 hours and 15 minutes per day.
Holiday	Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, New Year Holidays, annual paid leave and other holidays as stipulated in the Working Regulations.
Salary / Supply	Monthly salary: 326,308 yen~ (Determined based on experience and ability in accordance with the institution's term-based employee salary regulations) Commuting allowance is available (subject to payment conditions, there is an upper limit). The monthly salary includes a deemed overtime allowance. Social insurance will be provided in accordance with applicable regulations.
Trial Period	Two months from the start date of employment
Insurance	Health insurance (MEXT Mutual Aid Association), Welfare Pension Insurance, Employment Insurance and Worker’s Accident Compensation Insurance. You will be automatically enrolled in these insurances when working conditions meet the requirements.
Employer	President, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
受動喫煙防止対策	No smoking (except in designated areas outside)
How to Apply	Please compile the following application documents into a single ZIP file, name the file "PD_application_2026_[Your Name]," and submit it by uploading it to Box . After the upload is complete, please notify the contact email address provided with the name of the uploaded file. NIMS-CV with your photo List of research publications PDF files of your selected papers (up to 3 papers) Brief Summary of your research accomplishments Names and contact information of two referees who can provide references regarding the applicant's research activities Your personal information will be protected by NIMS privacy policy. Application documents will not be returned.
Delivery Address	Please refer to the "How to apply" section above.
Deadline	Until the position is filled.
Selection Process	After document screening, the candidate will be contacted for interview.
Contact to	Kazunori Takada,　Group Leader Randy Jalem,　Principal Researcher Principal Researcher, Solid-State Battery Group, Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials (GREEN) National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044 Japan E-Mail: JALEM.Randy=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")