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Hong Kong PhD Fellowship 2021/22

We encourage exceptionally outstanding applicants to apply for the upcoming prestigious Hong Kong PhD Fellowship. Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong since 2009, the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong's institutions.

The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$309,600 (approximately US$39,700) and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$12,900 (approximately US$1,700) per year for each awardee for a period up to three years. 250 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2020/21 academic year. For awardees who need more than three years to complete the PhD degree, additional support may be provided by HKUST.

HKUST has been ranked highest in all past rounds in success rate. In the latest round, 80% of our nominations have won HKPF. Our Lab proudly has 4 HKPF awardees since 2015. The new round of selection will commence in Sept and closed in Dec each year (see RGC-HK's website on HKPFS).

HKUST Postgraduate Scholarship

New PhD scholarships are available for application at CGL. Interested applicant should have excellent academic standing in geotechnical/civil engineering or engineering mechanics, a good knowledge of mathematics, mechanics and numerical modeling (e.g., using FEM or DEM), and be willing to learn new programming languages and skills. The ideal candidate should be fully self-motivated, enjoy taking challenges and communicate well in English.

The positions will be financially supported, with a typical scholarship for 3 years for one already with a master degree and 4 years whose first degree is bachelor towards a Ph.D., and 2 years for a M.Phil. The current stipend is around HK$216,360 per year tax-free (around US$27,700/year). Extre travelling support by the Lab and the university for conference travel is also available from the second year. Please contact me (by email) with a copy of your current CV, transcript record and a personal statement including your research plan for consideration. For more information on application please visit HKUST admission office website.

HKUST-Waterloo Joint PhD Scheme

Our Lab has an opening of PhD position in the coming 2020/21 under the HKUST and University of Waterloo (Canada) Joint PhD Program scheme. Successful candidate admitted to this scheme has the chance to study two years at HKUST and two years at Waterloo, the top university in Canada, with a final thesis for two PhDs from both universities. The candidates should be of caliber of HKPFS (and may apply for HKPFS to sponsor the joint program study too). The PhD topic will be on multiscale, multiphysics modeling of gas shales. Please contact Jidong as soon as possible to discuss the possibility.

HKUST Research Assistant Professorship

We invites outstanding postdoctoral level young scholars to apply for the Research Assistant Professor positions to be announced by the University in Januray 2021. Applicants should have recent PhD in geotechnical engineering, computational geomechanics or engineering mechanics and around two years overseas postdoc experience. They are expected to demonstrate potentials of injecting new research ideas and exploring funding opportunities for enhancement of the University’s research capabilities and strengths. Successful candidates should demonstrate a good track record of research publications and independence of leading individual research project(s) for competitive research grant application(s). S/he will also be involved in teaching or co-teaching of postgraduate and undergraduate courses.

Salary is highly competitive and will be commensurate with qualifications and experience (e.g., starting from HK$510,540 in 2019). Appointment will be made on a fixed-term 2-year contract, renewable subject to performance, funding availability and mutual agreement. A gratuity will be payable upon successful completion of contract. Fringe benefits include annual leave, medical and dental benefits. Housing allowance may be provided where applicable.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Jidong with (i) an updated curriculum vitae and (ii) a list of publications for initial evaluation. Formal application may also include (iii) a research statement and a research plan, and (iv) three reference letters by the application deadline (expected end of Jan 2021).

RGC Postdoc Fellowship

The Research Grants Council (RGC) invites strong nominations for the Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDFs) Scheme every July/August. Aiming at promising local and non-local postdoctoral researchers at UGC-funded universities at a pivotal time of their very early careers, PDFS will provide support to 50 awardees every year. Each awardee will be eligible for a full-time appointment as postdoctoral fellow (PDF) at HKUST for a 36-month period. The award covers an annual stipend for the awardee’s basic salary as well as a conference and research-related travel allowance throughout the fellowship period. The first year’s annual stipend for 2021/22 exercise is HK$405,330 (inclusive of the earmarked-travel allowance at HK$12,880). Please contact Jidong to show your interest in this scheme.

Lab Postdoc Research Associate

Subject to funding availability, the Lab may also have openings of postdoc positions for high-caliber fresh PhD graduates in computational or experimental granular mechanics. The successful candidate is expected to have strong research background in granular mechanics and extensive experience on computer programming (e.g., coding in FEM, MPM and/or DEM) or experimental skills in granular media, and is able to work independently. Previous experience on multi-scale modeling of material behavior will be a desirable plus. The salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. For inquiry, please send a CV and publication list by email to Jidong.