Full Time Doctoral Researcher Jobs, in Nanyang Technological University Singapore - Ricebowl

Doctoral Research Position in Urban Heat Island and Energy Systems

We are inviting applications for three motivated PhD Scholars to conduct original research in Urban Heat Island Assessment and Mitigation Study under the supervision of Associate Professor Adams Wai Kin Kong, Dr Sundar Raj Thangavelu, and Dr. Riccardo Talami.  The scholars will be part of an active research group and contribute to high-quality academic research.

Job Title: PhD Scholar / Doctoral Researcher

Department / Research Group: College of Computing and Data Science, Nanyang Technological University & Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N)

Location: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Position Type: Full-time with PhD scholarship

Duration: 4 years (From January 2027)

Research Area / Topic

Scope 1:

• Use existing tools to model and simulate urban microclimate environments at different scales.
• Develop parametric scripts to generate massive urban microclimate data. 
• Extract and synthetize building & urban physics principles and performance from the simulators.

Scope 2:

• Use the simulation data from Scope 1 to train an AI model to speed up microclimate simulation.
• Improve and develop a new AI model based on the property of the physics and data to enhance simulation speed and accuracy.
• Develop an AI based scheme to identify key factors contributing to urban heat island effect.

Scope 3

• Application of urban heat island models for assessment and mitigation.
• Use of optimization methodologies to determine optimal mitigation strategies
• Validation through established energy system modeling tools

Eligibility Criteria /Essential Qualifications:

Student 1:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in system, mechanical, civil engineering, physics, environmental engineering, building science, architectural engineering, building technology. 
• Strong academic background with second upper honours
• Proficiency in modelling, optimization and use of simulation tools, in particular microclimate, fluid and thermal dynamics.
• Preferably with research experience and publications related to urban microclimate and building performance simulation.

Students 2 and 3:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in computer science, electronic engineering, physics or math.
• Strong academic background with second upper honours
• Solid knowledge of deep learning, transformer, graph models, optimization, supervised and unsupervised learning.
• Proficiency in python and deep learning toolboxes.
• Excellent in coding,
• Preferably with AI research experience and publications in top AI conferences, such as ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, and AAAI.
• Knowledge of numerical methods and physics-based simulation is plus.

Desirable Skills:

• Prior research experience or publications
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Key Responsibilities 

• Conduct independent and collaborative research toward a PhD degree
• Perform literature review and identify research gaps
• Design and carry out experiments / simulations / fieldwork / theoretical analysis (as applicable)
• Analyze and interpret research data
• Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and conferences
• Present research at seminars, conferences, and workshops
• Assist in teaching, mentoring, or lab supervision (if required)
• Comply with institutional research ethics and guidelines

Benefits

• Monthly stipend/salary as per NTU norms
• Tuition fee waiver (if applicable)
• Conference support
• Research funding for conferences, travel, and publications (subject to availability)
• Access to advanced research facilities and infrastructure

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit the following:

1. Updated CV
2. Statement of Purpose / Research Interest (1–2 pages)
3. Academic transcripts
4. Copies of relevant certificates (NET/GATE, etc.)
5. Contact details of [2–3] referees

Application Deadline: 31 Aug 2026

How to Apply:

Send your application documents with email title "Physics-informed AI PhD applications" to ************* and cc to ************* and *************