2026.03.06

Researcher [R26-08]
Welding and Joining, 1 position available

Permanent:Research Center for Structural Materials, Welding and Joining Technology Group

#Permanent#Researcher
Field or Position Researcher [R26-08]
Welding and Joining, 1 position available
Number of Positions 1 position available
Affiliation Research Center for Structural Materials
Welding and Joining Technology Group
Work Description
Research on establishment of the fundamental theories regarding welding and joining mechanism from the aspect of metallography for fusion welding (arc and laser welding) and solid-state welding (friction welding). Research on development of innovative joining and welding technologies for new structural materials and dissimilar materials to achieve carbon neutral and national resilience. Research on improvement of joining and welding processing based on the technologies for predicting performance/life of weldments for high reliability.

* Research Environment Support up to 10 million yen depending on the research plan at the time of arrival is available.
Qualification
  1. Possess a Ph.D. degree or be expected to obtain a Ph.D. by the start date of employment.
  2. Demonstrable research achievements in welding and joining, preferably, experiences in arc welding, laser welding, and friction welding.
  3. Willingness to pioneer the new welding and joining field.
  4. Be fluent in English for communication in writing and speaking.
  5. Willingness to contribute to the administrative tasks and research activities in the group.

* No person falling under any of the items described in Article 3 of the Regulations for Human Resources may be eligible for the application.
Starting Date October 1, 2026 ~ April 1, 2027 [Negotiable]
Term Retirement age: 62 (as of FY2025~2026)
* Following the national government employees, the retirement age will be raised by one year every two years in stages starting in April 2023, and will be 65 years old after April 2031. (For those born on or after April 2, 1967, the retirement age will be 65.)
* In case an employee retires before the age of 65, he/she can use the reemployment system to be rehired until the age of 65 if he/she so desires.
Work Place Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Work Hours The discretionary labor system for professional work will be applied. It is deemed appropriate for candidates to work 8 hours and 15 minutes per day.
The standard work time (8:30-17:15) or the flextime system is also available.
Break time: 12:00-13:00
Teleworking program available.
Holiday Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 to January 3), annual paid leave, summer holidays, maternity leave, special leave for marriages and funerals, and other types of leave as specified in the rules of the institute.
Salary / Supply
Salaries will be determined based on ability, experience, performance, etc.
An annual salary system will be applied.
Various allowances (e.g., dependent care allowance, commuting allowance, and housing allowance) will be paid according to stipulated conditions.
The retirement allowance is included in the annual salary; it will not be provided when the person retires.
Medical benefits and pension plans are provided if the candidate joins the National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Association. Workers' accident compensation and unemployment insurance schemes are also available.
Fixed overtime pay is in place (Please refer to the Salary Regulations for Permanent Employees, Article 17-2, Paragraph 9 for details (in Japanese)).
Trial period is in place (Please refer to the Working Regulations for Permanent Employees, Article 37, Paragraph 2 through Paragraph 4 for details (in Japanese)).
 
* Exemption from repayment of scholarship loan from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) (only for graduate scholarship programs (category 1) received by March 31, 2004).
Trial Period Six months from the start date of employment
Employer President, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Conditions for disqualification
No person falling under any of the following items may be eligible for the application:
  1. a person who has been sentenced to imprisonment or a more severe punishment, and of whom the execution of the sentence has not been completed or who has not yet ceased to be amenable to the execution of the sentence;
  2. a person who was dismissed by a disciplinary action and for whom period of two years has not expired since the day of that disposition;
  3. a person who, on or after the date of the enforcement of the Constitution of Japan, formed or belonged to a political party or other organization which advocated the overthrow by force of the Constitution of Japan or the government established thereunder.
Gender Equality
We believe that the fulfillment of the overall work and family life of each employee, who has diverse values and lifestyles, will lead to the revitalization of NIMS, and we are working to create a workplace where both men and women can work comfortably.
Details can be found on the following website:
https://www.nims.go.jp/eng/nims/equality/index.html

  • Since the second phase of the action plan starting in April 2007, NIMS has achieved goals such as an uptake in leave-taking and the introduction of reduced working hours. In May 2009, NIMS was certified as a “Childcare Support Company” under the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. NIMS has established a work environment that facilitates handling both a career and the responsibilities of raising children.
  • Flexible working systems, such as the flex-time system and the discretionary work system, are in place.
  • Maternity leave, parenting leave, part-time work for child care, and family care leave, etc. are available.
  • Personnel expenses to employ an assistant for 1 year may be provided to researchers, engineers and permanent administrative staffs who take care of children or other family members.
  • NIMS supports female researchers. NIMS encourages applications from female candidates.
Rules on Smoking
Smoking is not permitted on the premises except in designated smoking areas.
How to Apply

1.     Acquisition of Applicant ID
Access the following link to obtain your Applicant ID, which is required to complete the application and recommendation forms.
Form for Applicant ID
Enter all required information in English. An email containing your Applicant ID will be sent to the email address you provide in this form.
If you do not receive an email containing your Applicant ID within three days of submitting this form, please contact us at the email address below.
E-Mail: nims-recruit=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")


2.     Application documents [Click here to download the R26-08 application form]
Use the provided forms (Curriculum Vitae (Word file), Application Form (Word file), and The number of publications (Excel file)) for this position number, which can be downloaded by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
Submit the curriculum vitae (Word), the application form (PDF), the number of publications (Excel), and PDF copies of no more than three representative papers to appliform=nims.go.jp. (Please change "=" to "@") The subject line of the email should read: Application for R26-08 (Applicant ID).

*If you wish to give your presentation in Japanese at the interview, submit a scanned copy of TOEIC / EIKEN(英検) / TOEFL / IELTS, etc. academic score certificate.
*Applicants currently enrolled in graduate school must submit their academic transcript as PDF file in addition to the documents listed above.
 
I. Curriculum Vitae
Use the provided form for this position number.
Enter necessary information in English or Japanese. Submit the curriculum vitae file in Word format.
 

II. Application form
This document is used to examine the knowledge, skills, research abilities, abilities to plan and propose researches, and English communication skills of an applicant.
Use the form for this position number. After filling out the application form (Word file), convert it to a PDF file.
 

(1) Research accomplishments

Describe your past research achievements in English within four pages of A4 size papers.

(2) Research Plan at NIMS

Describe plans of a research you want to do at NIMS (a short-term research plan and a mid- to long-term research plan) in English within two pages of A4 size papers.

(3) List of publications

Clearly categorize as original papers, review papers, invited presentations, patents, and books in the sequence of publication from new to old with serial numbers assigned. Forthcoming research papers and articles in academic journals may be included only if they have been accepted for publication. There is no limit to the number of pages. Provide information in English. Publications written in Japanese may be described in Japanese.
 

III. The number of publications
This document is used to count applicant's research achievements: papers, invited talks, patents, books, etc. Use the prescribed form (Excel file). Submit the number of publications file in Excel format.
 

IV. PDF copies of no more than three representative papers
Submit representative papers (within three papers) of yours in PDF format. You may add supplementary data to the papers. In such cases, prepare PDF files by combining the paper and the supplementary data to submit.
 

V. English score certificate
If you wish to give your presentation in Japanese at the interview, submit a scanned copy of TOEIC / EIKEN(英検) / TOEFL / IELTS, etc. academic score certificate.
 

VI. Academic transcript (Only for graduate students)
Applicants currently enrolled in graduate school must submit their academic transcript as PDF file.

 

3.     Letters of recommendation [Click here to download the R26-08 recommendation form]

Submit two letters of recommendation by May 20,2026.
Applicants must request that their references send their letters of recommendation directly to recommend=nims.go.jp. (Please change "=" to "@")
Use the form for this position number. Complete the form in English or Japanese and convert it into a PDF file.
The subject line of the email should read: Recommendation for (Applicant ID) from (full name of reference).
Applicants currently enrolled in graduate school, one reference must be your doctoral dissertation supervisor.
Please let the references know in advance that NIMS may contact them directly.


The status of recommendation letter submissions will be posted on the <Permanent Research Positions> webpage after April.  Applicants should check their submission status using their Applicant ID. We do not respond to individual inquiries.


4.     Multiple applications

Applicants are not allowed to apply for multiple research positions (R26-01 ~ R26-07 and R26-09 ~ R26-12).
All female applicants are considered for the position of R26-02 [Field: Materials Science (for women)], as well. Applicants are examined based on the application form submitted for positions of their first choices and do not have to prepare separate application forms.
Multiple applications for Special Open Call, Targeted Recruitment, and ICYS Research Fellows recruitment are accepted. However, note that the application documents are different, so please prepare them separately.


* The information provided for application will be used only for the employment selection and as the analytical data for verification of the recruitment process, and will not be used for any other purpose. We appropriately manage the personal information under the NIMS Regulations for Protection of Personal Information.

* Incomplete or incorrect applications may be rejected. Submitted application documents cannot be changed.

* Information cannot be provided on the details of the screening process.

 
Delivery Address Application documents and letters of recommendation will only be accepted via email. For the email subject line, please refer to the How to Apply section.

Application documents (Curriculum Vitae (Word), Application Form (PDF), The number of publications (Excel), and PDF copies of representative papers)):
appliform=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")
Letters of recommendation:
recommend=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")

* The size of attached documents must be no more than 30MB.
* Compressed files with passwords cannot be accepted for security reasons.
Deadline Application documents and letters of recommendation must reach us no later than May 20, 2026.
Selection Process Schedule (tentative)
  1. Document screening: June 2026
  2. First-round interview: July 2026 (meet face-to-face at NIMS for domestic residents, online for overseas residents)
  3. Second-round interview: July to August 2026 (meet face-to-face at NIMS)
Interviews with non-native Japanese speakers will be conducted in English.
The results of the selection process of the permanent position will be communicated regardless of whether an applicant was successful or not.
Individual inquiries regarding the selection process and results will not be accepted.

[Special invitation to ICYS]
Even if applicants are rejected in the screening for the permanent position, NIMS may consider hiring them as ICYS Research Fellows, provided they have graduated their Ph.D. within the last 10 years. For selection of the ICYS Research Fellows, applicant's future potential is emphasized over their research achievements.
For more information about ICYS, please click here.
Contact to Human Resources Development Group [R26-08]
For more information, please contact us.
Human Resources Development Group, NIMS
E-Mail: nims-recruit=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")

Application documents