POSTDOC POSITIONS 

My lab at the University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore, is recruiting three or possibly more postdoctoral researchers to work on developing and deploying statistical physics and thermodynamics aware AI models for chemistry and biology. You will work with my collaborative team of PhD and postdoc researchers distributed across the Institute for Health Computing, the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Depending on the candidate’s interest and skills, the work can span topics from fundamental statistical mechanics + AI to materials design and drug discovery. The common theme is developing chemistry-inspired AI models that work in low-data regimes and extrapolate broadly. Examples include understanding, predicting, and correcting emergent failure modes in heavy-duty foundation AI models as they are trained and deployed over longer timescales and far from training conditions, and predicting protein/RNA/small molecule structural ensembles that extrapolate across context/environment. Applications will broadly span energy and health, with the precise direction adapted to the candidate’s domain expertise and likely in close collaboration with and in vitro / in cellulo validation from experimental / wet lab teams / CROs.

Candidates should have a PhD (or be close to finishing) in a relevant field, demonstrated strong algorithmic ability, and experience that goes beyond applying existing machine learning methods to also understanding how these methods work. Broadly speaking, applicants should bring AI+X expertise, where X is physics or chemistry or biology. Applicants should also have a strong record of peer-reviewed publications and should send a CV that includes links to code repositories and a list of peer-reviewed papers. The initial appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Salary will be competitive with prestigious postdoc fellowships. 

We welcome candidates interested in seeking tenure-track academic or industry positions after this appointment.  Our group has a decent track record in placing people in both areas and you will be given personalized mentorship depending on your specific career ambitions.

Please apply by emailing me at ptiwary@umd.edu your CV, including the items listed above. Please also share this with anyone who may be interested. Applications are encouraged as soon as possible, and anticipated start date is July 2026 or later.