3 PhD Positions Available – Spring 2026 Start
We’re expanding our team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, thanks to new funding from DOE, NSF, and Sandia National Labs. If you’re passionate about applying machine learning and AI to solve real-world materials challenges, we want to hear from you!
Open Graduate Student Projects
We have three fully funded PhD positions beginning Spring 2026. Projects will focus on one or more of the following thrusts:
- Automated Materials Discovery
Combinatorial libraries explored via autonomous SPM & STEM platforms - Decision-Making & Active Learning
Real-time experimental design and instrument control informed by Bayesian and reinforcement-learning strategies - Direct Atomic Fabrication
Next-generation STEM-based pathways for atom-by-atom materials assembly
What You’ll Gain
When you graduate, you’ll possess a unique skill set in deploying AI-driven methods for materials characterization and synthesis—the fastest-growing frontier as we shift from “predicting” to rapidly discovering new materials.
- Hands-On Industry Collaboration
Partner with Thermo Fisher, Oxford Instruments, leading IT firms, and Silicon Valley startups - Interdisciplinary Mentorship
Work alongside automated-synthesis experts including Mahshid Ahmadi, Philip Rack, and Gerd Duscher, plus colleagues across UTK - National Lab Engagement
Collaborate with Sandia, Oak Ridge, and other DOE labs on physics-discovery from observational data - Creative Exploration
Dive into causal ML, deep image segmentation, decision-making in open systems, and LLM-integrated physical tools for energy and ferroelectric materials
Ready to Join Us?
Please reach out to Dr. Sergei Kalinin at sergei2@utk.edu with your CV and a short statement of interest. We also encourage you to connect with current team members—Yu Liu, Utkarsh Pratiush, Kamyar Barakati, and Aditya Raghavan—to learn about their experiences in the ASPM Group and at UTK/ORNL.