Assistant Professor - AI for Materials - Materials Science and Engineering

Position overview

Position title: Assistant Professor

Salary range: The current salary range for this position is $111,400–$163,200 (9-month academic year salary), however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: 07/01/2027

Review timeline: Not yet provided

Application Window

Open date: October 12, 2026

Next review date: Tuesday, Dec 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Tuesday, Dec 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position description

Position Description:

The University of California, Berkeley invites applications for an approved faculty position at the non-tenured (tenure-track) Assistant Professor level in the area of AI for Materials. This appointment will start as a 100% Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) appointment, with the appointee joining the Bakar Institute for Digital Materials for the Planet (BIDMaP) in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS) as a member, with access to its collaborative resources and postdoctoral program. It is the intention to move to the position to a 50/50 split appointment between MSE and a future interdisciplinary data science unit if/when established in CDSS, with MSE as the home department.

About the Units:

The MSE department is part of the College of Engineering (COE) and maintains close ties with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). It advances the understanding and design of materials through an interdisciplinary blend of chemistry, physics, and engineering, pairing rigorous fundamentals with modern, application-driven approaches. Our key strength is our collaborative, cross-disciplinary research community, with abundant opportunities for students and collaborators across campus and beyond.

BIDMaP is an institute in CDSS, a new college at Berkeley, with the goal of advancing the state-of-the-art in the core of computing, data science, and statistics, while making sustained progress on issues of human and societal significance. BIDMaP advances the synthesis, design, and translation of innovative materials aimed at mitigating critical global challenges. Through the integration of pioneering chemistry with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotic automation, BIDMaP transforms materials innovation into targeted solutions for clean air, clean water, advanced batteries, and sustainable chemical production.

About the Position:

We seek outstanding candidates demonstrating the potential to build a world-class research program that uses and advances AI to enable transformational progress in materials science and engineering. Research may span the development of new AI methods motivated by materials challenges, co-development of emergent AI with materials theory and experimentation, and the deployment of AI to accelerate materials research, discovery and innovation. Application areas are intentionally broad, encompassing the full breadth of materials science—from soft to hard matter and inorganic to organic systems—and all stages of the materials lifecycle, including synthesis, processing, modeling, theory, characterization, fabrication, integration, deployment, and reuse. Candidates are encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary and non-traditional approaches, including autonomous experimentation and data generation, scientific foundation models, language-based methods, multimodal learning, robotics and automation, AI/ML methods for characterization, and techno-economic or lifecycle analysis. The successful candidate will help position Berkeley at the global forefront of both AI and materials innovation while contributing actively to the intellectual communities of MSE and BIDMaP.

UC Berkeley values the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples, single parents, or those who may have taken time off for family reasons. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit the Office for Faculty Equity and Welfare's website .

Department :

Division :

Partner :

Division :

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Completion of a doctoral degree (e.g. PhD), or equivalent international degree, or enrolled in a doctoral degree or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Preferred qualifications

Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the potential for collaborative, interdisciplinary research and mentoring within the broad materials science engineering and BIDMaP community at UC Berkeley and will contribute to advancing the education mission of the MSE Department through teaching and student mentorship. Candidates should demonstrate evidence of (i) potential to build a world-class research program in materials science and engineering with a focus on AI for materials, (ii) commitment to education and mentorship of students, (iii) a campus culture and climate that contributes to a university where all members can thrive and contribute fully, and (iv) commitment to service to the campus and the materials science and engineering profession worldwide.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. including a complete list of publications.

• Cover Letter

• Research Statement - Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, collaborations, communication skills, and inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, as well as areas for future research. (3 page limit, 11 point Times New Roman with 1 inch margins)

• Teaching and Mentoring Statement - Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Please also discuss your mentoring experiences and approach. This can include, for example, past efforts and future plans to support the success of all students, and to foster an inclusive research mentoring environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access and advancement of the research program. Please also include a list of existing courses in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) that you would feel comfortable teaching, as well as any new courses you would propose to develop. (2 page limit, 11 point Times New Roman with 1 inch margins)

• Service Statement - Please discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities. This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase participation of academics in your field. (1 page limit, 11 point Times New Roman with 1 inch margins)

• Authorization to Release Information Form - An institutional reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information form .

• Representative Publications - Upload your two most significant publications.

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Applicants must provide names and contact information for three letters of reference. Letters will be requested from references for the candidates who reach the 'long-list' in the selection process.

Apply link:

Help contact: View email address on nature.com

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy ( APM 210 1-d ). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community , which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy .

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, or discrimination. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, applicants will only be subject to institutional reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on this website .

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.

Job location

Berkeley, CA