OPENINGS

We have multiple post-doc positions available immediately. Please feel free to send me an email if you are interested.

Details are provided below.

We have multiple openings related to (1) efficient large language model (LLM) pre-training, (2) energy-efficient on-device training, and (3) scientific machine learning for EDA. We are collaborating with leading research groups from industry (Intel, Amazon, Meta, HP Research Labs, Cadence) and government research labs (ANL, NIST) on these topics. Currently, we are looking for candidates with any of the following technical background:

Numerical optimization: stochastic optimization (e.g., theory of SGD and its variants), derivative-free optimization (e.g., zeroth-order optimization), distributed optimization. Note: we are looking for candidates with strong theoretical and numerical background. Candidates who work on the engineering application of optimization methods do NOT match this position.
High-performance computing (HPC) and GPU optimization: rich experience in parallel/distributed computation for large-scale training of deep learning models or for scientific computation on massive GPUs.
Edge AI hardware accelerators: hardware accelerator design with integrated photonics or with FPGA. We focus on training accelerator design rather than inference engines.
Scientific machine learning for EDA: physics-informed neural networks and/or operator learning for PDE simulation and/or PDE-constrained optimization, small-data learning for design modeling and optimization, uncertainty quantification and uncertainty-aware optimization for chip design.

***How to apply: you can contact me by email (zhengzhang@ece.ucsb.edu). In the email, please attach your full CV and representative publications. Please also provide the contact information of two referees.

General Opening Information

For graduate applicants: You are encouraged to read this document (written by Prof. Mor Harchol-Balter at CMU) if you are not sure whether you should pursue a PhD degree. Please also read our recent papers to see whether you are really interested in our research topics. If you want to join us as an ECE graduate student, please submit an application online to ECE and indicate Prof. Zhang's name in the application system. You can also apply to our group through the PhD programs of Computer Science or Math department. Technical requirement: Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our research, we welcome exceptional students from diverse backgrounds. Science (e.g., applied or computational math) and engineering (e.g., ECE, CE, MechE) students with strong quantitative and math skills are encouraged to apply. Prior research experience is a plus but generally NOT required for graduate applicants. We except our graduate students to be highly self-motivated and to really enjoy doing research.

Note: PhD students admitted by other departments (e.g., the math and computer science departments of UCSB) may also join us to work towards their PhD degrees (which will still be formally awarded by their host departments). Therefore, please feel free to contact us you are interested in our research topics .

For postdoc & visiting scholars: research experience related to one or the combination of the following areas is highly preferred: (1). applied math or computational physics (such as uncertainty quantification, tensor methods, numerical optimization, PDE or integral equation solvers, statistics); (2). Electrical, Computer or Mechanical Engineering (such as electronic and/or photonic design automation algorithms, computational electromagnetics, control and verification algorithms, hardware accelerators based on FPGA or GPU); (3). topics related to AI or data analytics (such as large-langage models, on-device AI); (4). any other topics that are complementary to and may fit with our research interests.

Financial Support

Scholarship for PhD students and postdocs (e.g.,TA, RA or postdoc salary): most funding comes from our research grants, therefore the number of openings in every year depends on the amount of new research funding. Exceptional applicants may be awarded a campus-level multi-year fellowship provided by UCSB.

External fellowship: we may have additional openings if you have an external fellowship. Examples include: NSF Graduate Fellowship, DOE Graduate Fellowship, Marie Curie Fellowship for EU citizens. Please contact Prof. Zhang if you want to join us with an external fellowship (and if you need his help on your fellowship application).

Contact

In your inquiry email, please indicate your interested research areas and briefly describe how much you know about those areas. For graduate applicants, the email title should be "Graduate Application" + Year + your full names (e.g., "Graduate Application 2018 Mike Smith"). You are suggested to provide a link to (or PDF files of) the following documents: (1) your full CV and academic transcripts, (2) representative publications (if available), (3) a brief research statement (with one or two pages) describing your research plan (for visiting scholars and postdoc researchers).