Mao Research Group @ NUS
Principal Investigator
Xianwen Mao | 毛献文
(he/him/his)
Assistant Professor / Presidential Young Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Institute of Functional Intelligent Materials (I-FIM)
Centre for Advanced 2D Materials (CA2DM)
Centre for Hydrogen Innovation (CHI)
Artificial Intelligence Institute
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Phone:
(+65) 8301 4330
Email:
Dr. Xianwen Mao earned a Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Tsinghua University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He later conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University. Dr. Mao’s research focuses on operando imaging-guided materials design for emerging technologies. As the first or corresponding author, he has published original research papers in leading journals such as Nature Materials and Nature Chemistry. His contributions to the field have been recognized with multiple awards, including the Materials Research Society (MRS) Postdoctoral Award, Materials Today Energy Rising Star Award, and Journal of Materials Chemistry A Emerging Investigator Award.
Dr. Mao has a strong interest in interdisciplinary collaboration and technology translation. He holds a minor in Finance and Economics from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also gained industry experience during internships at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics (Italy) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (US). Dr. Mao has filed a number of patents, and his work has been frequently highlighted in major media outlets such as The New York Times and Chemical & Engineering News. He has also received recognition for his entrepreneurial initiatives, including the Harvard-MIT Case Competition Award, the MIT Water Innovation Prize, and the Veraqua Prize.
Passionate about teaching and education, Dr. Mao teaches both his core expertise in emerging technologies and the integration of business and technology. He has received the NUS CDE College Educator Award for his course on renewable energy and emerging technologies, and he co-teaches executive education programs at NUS Business School.
Join us!
We are an interdisciplinary research group in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National University of Singapore engaged in research at the intersection of materials science, physical chemistry, and chemical engineering.
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We are strongly committed to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion in all settings, by consciously priming ourselves and others to pay attention to potential areas of bias, and identifying effective ways to reorganize structures and systems for a safe, open and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity leads to higher creativity and broader impact, and will make continued efforts in advancing diversity in education and mentoring.
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Postdoctoral fellows
The successful candidate should possess the following:
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A PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or related fields
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Highly motivated, committed, and capable of working independently as well as collaboratively
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Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals
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Good communication skills in English (both written and oral)
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Prior experiences with the following will be a plus
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Optical instrumentation, single-molecule/ super-resolution microscopy, magnetic/optical tweezers, ultrafast spectroscopy, or other in-situ operando imaging tools
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Machine learning for materials discovery or quantitative image analysis, DFT calculations for catalyst design, experiences with MATLAB / Python / AutoCAD / COMSOL
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Organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials, micro/nano-fabrications, genetic engineering of microorganisms
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Techno-economic analysis of sustainability technologies
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For postdoctoral fellows, compensation and benefits package will be internationally competitive (including annual base salary, performance-based bonus, medical insurance and vacation leave), and will be commensurate with experiences and qualifications. Interested candidates are encouraged to email a copy of CV (with a list of publications), reprints of three selected publications, as well as contact information of 2-3 references to Xianwen.
PhD students
We have multiple positions available for highly qualified and motivated graduate students. Students interested in material science / chemical engineering / chemistry are welcomed. Graduate students will be provided with NUS full scholarships for 4 years. To apply, please send your resume to xmao@mit.edu.
Interested students can also apply to Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA), A*STAR Graduate Fellowship and President’s Graduate Fellowship, and check out NUS continuously updated scholarship opportunities.
Visiting students and scholars
We may have positions available for visiting students and scholars to join us at National University of Singapore. We are interested in researchers with experiences in optical instrumentation and energy technologies. If you are interested, please send your CV to Xianwen.
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