Vacancy: Postdoctoral researchers via external fellowship schemes at NUS

External fellowships for a postdoc with us

We invite prospective postdoctoral researchers to join our research group through one of two external fellowship schemes at the National University of Singapore (NUS): the Singapore NRF Postdoctoral Award, the country’s National Research Foundation’s postdoctoral scheme, and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, run by Schmidt Sciences at selected universities worldwide.

Both schemes require applicants to have an NUS host or mentor: if there is a fit with our research agenda, we will host you in the group, help you shape the research proposal that the application requires, and provide mentorship during the fellowship. Both schemes are for researchers within three years of their PhD, both are full-time and based in Singapore, and both are competitive. They are, however, different in scope and duration, and they suit somewhat different profiles; more on that below.

Singapore NRF Postdoctoral Award

The NRF Postdoctoral Award supports outstanding researchers entering their first or second postdoctoral appointment, and it is open to all nationalities. Awardees receive a research grant and a salary through an employment contract with NUS, with up to four years of support.

Applicants must hold a PhD in a STEM discipline and have no more than three years of post-PhD research experience. The proposed research should fit one of the four domains of Singapore’s RIE2030 plan; our work is mostly within two domains: Urban Solutions and Sustainability and Smart Nation and Digital Economy.

The application is a single PDF containing a cover letter, a detailed CV with your Scopus Author ID and full publication list, a two-page research proposal, your five most significant publications with a note on your contribution to each, the details and a support letter of the NUS host principal investigator (that would be us), and three referees including your PhD supervisor.

The current round closes on 30 October 2026.

Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship

This fellowship supports postdocs who apply AI techniques to the natural sciences, engineering, or mathematical sciences, and NUS is one of nine universities worldwide selected to host it. It is tenable for up to two years with an attractive remuneration package, and it comes with structured training and a community: awardees take at least one AI module a year, report annually to the University and Schmidt Sciences, and present at events organised by NUS and Schmidt Sciences together with fellows from the other host universities.

One eligibility criterion stands out: your PhD must be in a non-computer-science area, obtained within the last three years. The research proposal must be interdisciplinary and apply AI techniques to engineering, natural sciences, or mathematical sciences.

The application consists of the application form with a two-page research proposal, a comprehensive CV with the full publication list, your doctorate transcript or degree certificate, the mentor’s confirmation, two reference letters (one from your PhD supervisor), and your three most relevant publications. More details are on the official NUS page of the fellowship.

The internal NUS deadline of the current round is in early December 2026. Please contact us at least a few weeks before that.

Which one should you go for?

The eligibility rules mostly decide this for you. If your PhD is in computer science or a related field, only the NRF Postdoctoral Award is open to you. If your PhD is in a domain discipline (geography, urban planning, geomatics, engineering, architecture…) and you would like to move towards AI-driven research, the Schmidt fellowship was designed for such a move, and it is the more suitable of the two.

Where both are open to you, the trade-off is roughly as follows: the NRF award gives a longer runway and a personal research grant, which helps if you want to build an independent research identity towards a faculty career; the Schmidt fellowship is a focused two-year stint with dedicated postdoctoral training and a cohort of fellows across the host universities.

Why with us

Our group works on urban informatics and geospatial data science. We develop new ways of sensing cities using AI. Postdocs in our group get a high degree of freedom to develop their own research line, mentoring towards independence and gaining teaching experience, and a say in the direction of the group, including involvement in funding applications. Our current and former members have published widely in leading journals, and some have moved on to faculty positions. For more about the environment and what we look for, see our About and Why us pages, and our guide for prospective applicants.

How to get in touch

Please apply by email to [email protected], indicating the scheme in the subject line (“NRF Postdoctoral Award” or “Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship”), and including:

• Your academic CV with the full publication list.
• A few paragraphs on what you would like to work on and how it connects to our recent publications.
• Your PhD award date (or expected date) and your intended timeline.

If you are unsure which scheme fits you, we can advise.

We can endorse only a small number of candidates, and we will prioritise those whose interests fit our research agenda and who are likely to be competitive.

Please also note that both schemes run their own selection processes; our support does not guarantee the award. For other external funding options (e.g. the Lee Kuan Yew Postdoctoral Fellowship), see our fellowships page.

Contact

For more information, feel free to contact us at [email protected].