Research Associate (Materials Science/Agronomy/Plants Science)

The School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) provides a vibrant and nurturing environment for staff and students to carry out inter-disciplinary research in key areas such as Computational Materials Science, Characterisation Materials Science, Defence Composite Materials, Functional Composite Materials, Energy, Nanomaterials, Low Dimensional Materials, Biomaterials Materials, Biological Materials, Bioinspired Materials and Sustainable Materials.

For more details, please view https://www.ntu.edu.sg/mse/research

We are looking for a Research Associate to join a project funded by Singapore Food Agency (SFA) under Singapore Food Story (SFS) R&D Programme 2.0, focusing on the development of sustainable growing media for urban farming applications. The role will focus on supporting experimental scale-up, farm operations, and project coordination to ensure smooth execution of laboratory and field activities within a multidisciplinary research project.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in scaling up production of growing media

• Support experimental work and field tests

• Support maintenance of offsite research facility  

• Plan and manage project scheduling, budget, establish forecasts, and monitor expenditure against budget

• Manage/control project risks & mitigating actions

• Lead and coordinate engagement with various key stakeholders both internally and externally, including collaborators and the funding agency.

• Prepare/consolidate periodic reports (finance, technical) as required and update relevant stakeholders in a timely manner

• Oversee claims, procurement, and asset management

• Manage logistical issues and laboratory inventory

• Ensure compliance with health and safety in all aspects of the research work

• Support the planning, organising and managing research events of the programme (including technical symposiums, seminars/webinars, talks, etc)

Job Requirements:

• Master’s in Materials Science, Agronomy, Plants science or related fields

• Bachelor holders with at least 4 years of strong relevant experience / Diploma holders with at least 6 years of strong relevant experience will be considered

• Interest in urban farming

• Experience in agriculture/sustainable materials is an advantage

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and ability to work in a diverse, international, and inter-disciplinary research environment.

• Experience with relevant project management software platforms

• Excellent leadership skills 

• Experience in schedule and resource planning of complex multi-party projects in the public sector

• Ability to work well with multiple competing priorities, manage projects and meet deadlines.

• A good team player and able to work independently with minimum supervision.

We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.