2026.10.23

Postdoctoral Researcher　- Generative AI and Foundation Models for Structural Metallic Materials

Fixed Term：Center for Basic Research on Materials Science, Data-driven Materials Design Group, Data-driven Materials Research Field

1 position available

#Fixed Term#Researcher

Field or Position	Postdoctoral Researcher　- Generative AI and Foundation Models for Structural Metallic Materials
Number of Positions	1 position available
Affiliation	Data-driven Materials Design Group, Data-driven Materials Research Field Center for Basic Research on Materials Science
Work Description	The successful candidate will conduct research on generative artificial intelligence and foundation models for metallic structual materials as part of the FORGE project. The primary goal is to design, develop, train, and validate a transferable foundation model that can learn from heterogeneous scientific data and support materials research and discovery. Develop and evaluate generative AI and Transformer-based foundation-model architectures for metallic structural materials. Prepare, curate, and integrate materials datasets; develop data representations and reproducible model-training pipelines. Explore relevant approaches such as large language models (LLMs), multimodal learning, self-supervised pretraining, and transfer learning. Benchmark model performance, assess generalization and reliability, and document the methodology and research outcomes. Collaborate with co-researchers in materials science and artificial intelligence, and contribute to joint research activities. Prepare scientific publications for high-quality peer-reviewed journals and present results at conferences.
Qualification	【Required Qualifications】 A PhD in materials science, computer science, or a closely related field, completed by the start of employment. Demonstrated research or development experience with large language models (LLMs) and/or generative AI. Knowledge of, or research experience with, metals or metallic materials. Strong programming ability in Python and practical experience with modern deep-learning frameworks (such as PyTorch). Strong English communication skills, both written and spoken. A demonstrated record of publishing research in high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Ability to work collaboratively with co-researchers, contribute to multidisciplinary research, and carry out research responsibly and independently. 【Desirable Qualifications】 Experience with foundation models, Transformers, multimodal learning, or self-supervised representation learning. Experience training or fine-tuning large models using GPU/HPC environments. Familiarity with scientific data management, robust evaluation, reproducible research, and version control.
Starting Date	February 1, 2027
Term	One year from the date of hire. The contract may be renewed based on job performance, work attitude, research progress, and the availability of funding.
Contract Renewal Criteria / Maximum Employment Period	Renewal of the contract will be determined based on work performance, work atitude, progress of work engaged in, workload at the end of the contract period, budget situation, and other factors. The maximum period of employment is until March 31, 2029.
Work Place	National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki site (Tsukuba City, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan)
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 Deemed working hours when the discretionary labor system is applied are 8 hours and 15 minutes per day.
Holiday	Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and other regulations of the Organization
Salary / Supply	Monthly salary: JPY 325,000-365,000 (determined based on experience and skills in accordance with the Organization's Salary Regulations for Fixed-Term Employees). Commuting allowance is provided for employees commuting 2 km or more, subject to the maximum allowance 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 Workers’ 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)
Measures to prevent passive smoking	No smoking (except in designated areas outside)
How to Apply	Compile the following application documents into a ZIP file and send them to the following upload link. Upload Link (Box) : https://nims.ent.box.com/f/6141d08eab7b423ca60a078086de492e NIMS-CV with photograph List of publications Summary of research achievements (2 pages, A4 size) Three selected publications Names, affiliations, and contact information of two referees * Application documents will not be returned. * Your personal information will be protected by NIMS privacy policy.
Deadline	Until the position is filled.
Selection Process	After documentary examinations, we will contact to whom we want to come in for an interview
Contact to	SODEYAMA Keitaro (Group Leader) DIEB Sae Data-driven Materials Design Group Center for Basic Research on Materials (CBRM) National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 E-Mail: DIEB.Sae=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")