The platform · 平台
Built, and equipped 课题组与实验平台
Models make the decisions and automated hardware carries them out, so that through real interaction with the physical world the AI improves itself recursively (physical RSI) and runs the closed loop of design, synthesis, characterization, and learning on its own.
- ≈200m² AI and automation lab, Phase I complete
- 192 parallel photo / electro reaction positions
- ≈1,000 CPU cores on the group’s own cluster
- 8× A100 NVIDIA GPUs on the group’s own cluster
- 26 fume hoods in the group’s laboratories
- 100+ instrument and equipment units
A full range of characterization equipment is available, and the UPLC-QTOF high-resolution mass spectrometer and the 400 MHz NMR spectrometer are owned by the group. Lab page · photographs and full inventory
Openings · 01
Joint PhD Program 联合培养博士生 · 2027 级
Students in the 2027 intake are trained jointly by EIT and either Shanghai Jiao Tong University or the University of Science and Technology of China under a 1+3 scheme, and the doctorate is conferred by the partner university. The research years at EIT come with a competitive stipend.
- 2027 intake
- 1+3 joint training
- Degree from SJTU or USTC
- Direct entry or application–assessment
- Competitive stipend
途径与支持Routes & support
- Admission routes Both routes are open: direct PhD entry for students with a national recommendation, and the application–assessment route for master’s graduates. If you hold a recommendation, please contact us as early as possible.
- Funding and collaboration Research funding is ample, and the group works closely with research groups in China and abroad and with leading AI for Science companies.
- Conferences and visits We actively support conference attendance and research visits in China and abroad, because good work deserves to be presented to colleagues in person.
招聘要求What we look for
The first three are requirements; the fourth is an advantage.- 1 Academic background
A strong academic background and research ability, with high-quality research published as first author.
- 2 English
A pass in the College English Test, Band 6 (CET-6), or an equivalent level for applicants from abroad, with good English communication, reading, and writing.
- 3 Research interests
Undergraduate or master’s research in synthetic organic methodology, AI for Chemistry, or chemical automation, and a strong interest in AI-driven automated chemistry and self-driving laboratories.
- 4 Advantages
Experience in AI for Chemistry or chemical automation, or a programming background (for example in Python), is an advantage.
Openings · 02
Postdoctoral Positions 博士后招聘 · 重点方向 AI 自动化化学
We are recruiting several postdoctoral fellows in our priority area, AI-driven automated chemistry and the closed-loop self-driving laboratory, and fellows in AI for Chemistry may also be co-supervised with Yuntian Chen’s group at EIT. One further position is open across organic photo- and electrochemical synthesis, transition-metal-catalyzed coupling, and DFT computation. Postdoctoral fellows have the same platform as the PhD students.
- Priority area · AI-driven automated chemistry · several positions
- AI for Chemistry · co-supervision with Yuntian Chen’s group
- Synthesis / coupling / DFT · one position in total
申请条件Requirements
- 1 Degree and age
A PhD received within the past three years or about to be received; applicants should normally be no older than 35.
- 2 Publications
A strong academic background and research ability, with several high-quality research papers.
- 3 English
Good English communication, reading, and writing.
- 4 Advantages
Experience in AI for Chemistry or chemical automation, or a programming background, is an advantage.
薪资与支持Salary & support
- 200k Research funding Up to RMB 200,000, available on application to the local government during the fellowship.
- 1 : 1 Matching funds Fellows funded by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation or a provincial postdoctoral research project receive the same amount again from Ningbo.
- 600k Ningbo settlement subsidy Fellows who stay in Ningbo to work after the fellowship can receive a subsidy of up to RMB 600,000.
Standard benefits: social insurance and housing fund · paid annual leave · holiday benefits · furnished government talent apartments, available on application
Openings · 03
Interns, year-round 实习生招聘 · AI 自动化化学方向
The group takes interns in AI-driven automated chemistry year-round. Interns receive a stipend, and those who do outstanding work are given priority when we recommend candidates for PhD study.
- Undergraduate and master’s students
- Chemistry, computer science, automation, and related fields
Apply in the same way as for the PhD and postdoctoral positions, with the subject line “Internship + University + Name”. How to apply
Before you write
Know who you're joining 写邮件之前，先认识我们
Spend five minutes on the four items below before you decide whether to write.
- 导师 Principal Investigator Chen Zhu is an Associate Professor (Research Professor and PhD advisor) in the College of Science at the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, and an adjunct PhD advisor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Science and Technology of China; in 2023 he was selected for the NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas). He received his BSc, MSc, and PhD from RWTH Aachen University, the PhD under Magnus Rueping with summa cum laude and the Borchers-Plakette, and then worked at KAUST as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist. His research covers AI and automated chemistry, organic photo- and electrochemical synthesis, transition-metal-catalyzed coupling, and DFT calculations. He has published 40 papers as first or corresponding author (including joint authorship) in journals such as Nat. Catal., Nat. Chem., Nat. Synth., Nat. Commun., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and J. Am. Chem. Soc., five of them ESI Highly Cited Papers. He leads an NSFC Young Scientists Fund project, has led and completed a research task in the Ministry of Science and Technology’s National Science and Technology Major Project on New Generation Artificial Intelligence, and was listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists for three consecutive years, 2023–2025.
- 研究方向 Research AI and automated chemistry; organic photo- and electrochemical synthesis (photocatalysis, electrosynthesis, transition-metal-catalyzed coupling, asymmetric catalysis); and DFT calculations. The three directions form one closed loop: experiments raise the questions, computation explains them, and AI decides the next round of experiments.
- 实验室 Lab An AI and automation laboratory (Phase I complete), the group’s own computing cluster, and a full range of characterization equipment, including the group-owned UPLC-QTOF high-resolution mass spectrometer and 400 MHz NMR spectrometer. Photographs and the full inventory are on the lab page.
- 学校 EIT Ningbo The Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo is a new research university founded with support from society, built jointly by Zhejiang Province and Ningbo, and supported by the state; it describes itself as high-starting, small and selective, innovative, and international. It emphasizes basic research, interdisciplinary frontiers, and engineering technology, with programs mainly in science, engineering, information, and business, alongside distinctive programs in the humanities and social sciences.
How to apply · 申请方式
Start with one email 从一封邮件开始
- 1Collect your CV and supporting materials (representative papers, transcripts, award certificates, and so on) as PDF files.
- 2Write “Position + University + Name” in the subject line, giving the position as PhD, postdoc, or internship.
- 3Send the email to chen.zhu@eitech.edu.cn. You may write in English or Chinese, and every serious application is read carefully.
chen.zhu@eitech.edu.cn
Position + University + Name e.g. Postdoc + Nanjing University + Zhang San