Post-Doctoral Research Associate: Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing - UTK

University Of Tennessee College
University Of Tennessee College

Full-time

Knoxville, TN, USA

USD 60k-63k / year

Posted on Oct 9, 2026

The Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (CAMM) at the University of Tennessee is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with research interest and expertise in low-dimensional quantum materials. CAMM is a newly funded NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Research Center (MRSEC) that focusses on two major initiatives: using Artificial Intelligence to tame the complexity of quantum materials and creating new materials that can operate in extreme conditions.


The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone.

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Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!

The Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (CAMM) at the University of Tennessee is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with research interest and expertise in low-dimensional quantum materials. CAMM is a newly funded NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Research Center (MRSEC) that focusses on two major initiatives: using Artificial Intelligence to tame the complexity of quantum materials and creating new materials that can operate in extreme conditions.

Required Qualifications

  • Education: PhD in Physics or closely related discipline.
  • Experience: Research experience in MBE synthesis
  • Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Strong publication, communication skills, and a demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative team environment

Preferred Qualifications
Additional expertise in scanning tunneling microscopy, photoemission, transport and/or magnetometry measurements is a plus, although not essential. We welcome additional research experience in areas that support the center’s artificial intelligence mission including, but not limited to, automation, active and reinforcement learning, as well as material informatics and data-driven approaches for materials discovery and device design, including machine learning methods.


Candidates with experience in more than one discipline, or interest in collaboration across disciplines, are preferred. However, candidates who can define a unique research area are equally encouraged to apply.

Work Location:

  • On-site at the Institute of Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, Knoxville, TN

Compensation and Benefits

  • Anticipated hiring range: $60,000 – $63,000
  • Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

For full consideration, applicants should submit in their application:

  1. A curriculum vitae, including a publication list

  2. Statement of research interests and accomplishments

  3. A minimum of two letters of recommendation

Review of applications will begin on October 19, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. For further information about this position, please contact Prof. Hanno H. Weitering (hanno@utk.edu), Prof. Norman Mannella (nmannell@utk.edu), or Prof. Wonhee Ko (wko@utk.edu).

About The Department

The Department has an exemplary research record, with eight professors earning NSF CAREER awards since 2012, eight professors among the world’s top two percent of physicists based on citation count, the award of the prestigious American Physical Society 2021 Bonner Prize, eleven APS Fellows, and four AAAS Fellows. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is Tennessee’s flagship state research institution, a campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates and a premier graduate institution with a number of nationally and internationally ranked programs and with national and international leadership in numerous fields.


The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for the synthesis of epitaxial quantum materials via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The materials synthesis will be supported by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence protocols. The successful candidate will work in a stimulating scientific environment with ample opportunities to broaden their professional portfolio by conducting, e.g., in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS), photoemission (XPS/ARPES) experiments, and ex-situ transport, magnetic and other physical property measurements. The successful candidate will be positioned to drive their own scientific activities and collaborate with faculty members, postdoctoral associates, and students from the departments of Physics & Astronomy, Materials Science & Engineering, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, all affiliated under the CAMM umbrella.