
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA)
Senior Computational Scientist - Material Sciences
- Permanent
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Experience 5 - 10 yrs
Job expiry date: 16/03/2026
Job overview
Date posted
30/01/2026
Location
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Salary
AED 30,000 - 40,000 per month
Compensation
Job description
ADIA Lab, an independent research institution based in Abu Dhabi specializing in data and computational sciences, seeks a Senior Computational Scientist - Material Sciences to play a pivotal role in establishing a new research group and leading lab-wide initiatives within ADIA Lab and the broader international community. The role focuses on leveraging computational science, simulation, and data-driven discovery to accelerate breakthroughs in materials for energy, sustainability, climate, and advanced technologies. The incumbent will establish and lead a Material Sciences research group centered on computational modeling, simulation, and data-driven materials discovery, driving cross-disciplinary research that integrates physics-based modeling, data science, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. Responsibilities include developing and applying computational frameworks for multiscale modeling, quantum-to-continuum simulations, and AI-assisted materials design; collaborating with national and international research institutions; building partnerships with universities, laboratories, and industry; and initiating joint programs, funding proposals, and collaborative platforms for materials informatics and open data. The role involves publishing in high-impact journals, contributing to white papers and global assessments, representing ADIA Lab at international conferences, and supervising junior scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students. The Senior Computational Scientist will shape and coordinate the Materials Science group as a core pillar of ADIA Lab’s mission, work closely with ADIA Lab Fellows and the Advisory Board, and ensure long-term sustainability and global visibility of the materials science research agenda.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Establish and lead a new Material Sciences research group within ADIA Lab focusing on computational modeling, simulation and data-driven materials discovery
- Drive cross-disciplinary research integrating physics-based modeling, data science and high-performance computing to address challenges in materials for energy, climate and advanced technologies
- Develop and apply computational frameworks for multiscale modeling, quantum-to-continuum simulations and AI-assisted materials design
- Build, coordinate and lead a globally recognized, collaborative research team and network in computational materials science
- Collaborate with national and international research institutions to foster community science and accelerate progress in computational materials research
- Build partnerships with universities, laboratories and industry to initiate joint programs, funding proposals and collaborative platforms for materials informatics and open data
- Publish research results in high-impact journals, contribute to white papers and global assessments and represent ADIA Lab at leading international conferences
- Supervise and mentor junior scientists, postdoctoral fellows and students in computational materials science
- Shape, grow and coordinate the Materials Science group as a core pillar of ADIA Lab’s mission ensuring long-term sustainability and global visibility
- Work closely with ADIA Lab Fellows and the Advisory Board to shape the strategic direction of materials science research at ADIA Lab
Experience & skills
- Hold a PhD in materials science, physics, chemistry, computational science, applied mathematics or a related field
- Possess a minimum of 6 years of post-PhD experience in computational materials research, data-driven materials design or closely related domains
- Demonstrate expertise in atomistic and first-principles simulations including Density Functional Theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics, mesoscale modeling or continuum methods
- Have experience with machine learning for materials discovery, data curation and materials informatics platforms such as Materials Project, NOMAD and AiiDA
- Be familiar with high-performance computing environments, parallel programming and workflow automation for large-scale simulations
- Demonstrate proficiency in programming languages including Python and C/C++
- Show a strong publication record and recognized contributions to the international materials science community